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Parley First School

Primary · Ferndown · BH22 8QE

Data updated

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Good

Graded inspection under the pre-November 2025 system

This is an overall-effectiveness grade from the previous inspection framework. The school has not yet had a report-card inspection.

Quality of education: GoodBehaviour & attitudes: GoodPersonal development: GoodLeadership & management: GoodSafeguarding effective: Yes

Inspected 3 July 2023

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

313 pupils · 99% of 315 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
4–9
Gender
Mixed
Free school meals
11.5% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
0.6% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
10.1% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
6.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
Website
http://www.parley.dorset.sch.uk/
URN
148162

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 66 families named it first for 58 Reception places, 1.14 first choices per place. Its last Reception place offered on distance for 2026 entry went to 1.421 miles, the only Reception round we hold for it. Ofsted last graded it Good on 3 July 2023, under the framework used before November 2025. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 4.3% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Reception entry, September 2026

1.14 first-choice applications per place

58 places offered · 66 first-choice applications · oversubscribed

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. Places by distance, last offered at 1.421 miles for 2026 entry.

Admissions cutoff distance: Reception

Last child offered a place under the distance criterion (2026 entry) lived within 1.421 miles

measurement method not stated by the council.

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Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

Special educational needs

Needs this school records that it caters for, in the order it lists them.

Provision type: Resourced provision.

Resourced provision
9 of 10 places taken nearly full

Unit places come from the school census and describe the position when it was taken, not today. Confirm with the local authority before relying on them.

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 92% (Dorset 88%, England 60%) · Any other Mixed background 3% (Dorset 1%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Dorset 1%, England 2%) · Any other White background 1% (Dorset 3%, England 7%) · Any other Asian background 1% (Dorset 1%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Black African 1% (Dorset 0%, England 1%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 1% (Dorset 1%, England 2%) · other groups together 1%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
4.3%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
7.1%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

1.30 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, primary schools: 2.47 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Dorset: 2.92 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
21
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

89% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 11% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, primary academies: 0.3% vacant, 0.32% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

66.7% of teachers took sickness absence, 2.5 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £46,985; 16.7% on the leadership pay range · England, primary schools: £50,856, 17.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£6,906
Typical primary school£7,202

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for primary schools in brackets: Staff 77% (77%) · premises 6% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 6% (8%) · supplies and services 11% (9%) · educational supplies 10% (4%) · bought-in professional services 0% (2%) · catering 5% (5%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £76,000; in-year balance -£46,000

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
10/10among the least deprived tenth of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
10/10among the least deprived tenth of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher32.2%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications14%18.1%
In managerial or professional work42.2%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways10.6%18.1%
Residents in very good health47.8%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier92.8%62.3%
Social housing0.6%17.1%
Privately rented6.6%20.5%
Detached houses97.5%22.9%
Flats1.4%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms47.7%21.1%
Households with no car or van6.9%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01020402 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£450,000348 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£340,000–£550,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (227)£510,000
Semi-detached (13)£385,000
Terraced (21)£357,000
Flat (87)£225,000

Homes around this school are dearer than three quarters of school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
0an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
4an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
7an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
0an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools