St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery
Station Road, West Moors, Ferndown, BH22 0JFOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery is a primary school in Ferndown for ages 2 to 9. It is one of the 179 schools in Dorset. Its latest Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, graded each key judgement and gave no overall Ofsted rating.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 23 April 2025, report published 19 May 2025
This inspection graded each key judgement and gave no overall effectiveness grade.
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years provision
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 23 April 2025
Warm relationships underpin everything that happens in this welcoming school. Staff take the time to get to know pupils. This helps pupils to feel comfortable to share any worries. Staff support pupils in a pursuit to 'be more awesome' in line with the school's vision. Pupils achieve well, including in in national assessment. They are well prepared for their next stage. The school aims to promote a sense of belonging. Consequently, pupils enjoy coming to school and attendance has improved because of the school's work. Pupils rise to the high expectations staff have of them. They understand and demonstrate the school's behaviour expectations of being 'ready, respectful and safe'. The nursery provides a nurturing environment. Children learn routines in preparation for starting school. Older pupils show respect towards one another, hold doors open for visitors and include others in their play. Opportunities to promote pupils' leadership skills are purposeful and well considered. For example, pupils democratically vote for the Year 4 'Saints' who are role models for the school. Pupils develop their geographical knowledge through visits to local lakes. They learn about bush crafts in their forest garden. Pupils enjoy working within their locality. For example, pupils sing at local care homes and serve soup to local residents.
What the school should improve
- In some subjects, including mathematics, assessment is not used with enough precision to identify and address misconceptions. Consequently, some pupils develop gaps in their knowledge which makes it difficult for them to build and deepen their understanding. Where this is the case, the trust should ensure that assessment is used effectively to identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge.
- Sometimes, the support given to pupils with SEND lacks precision. This means that, at times, there is a lack of clarity around what individual pupils need in order to meet their personalised targets and goals. The school should ensure that, where this is the case, staff are clear about pupils' next steps and that these pupils benefit from support which helps them to meet their individual targets.
Pupil numbers and mix
148 pupils on roll, with places for 184
Schools near St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakhurst Community First School | 0.6 miles | Report card: Expected standard | Not published |
| West Moors Middle School | 0.9 miles | Report card: Expected standard to strong standard | 49% met the expected standard |
| Three Legged Cross First and Nursery School | 2 miles | Ofsted: Good | Not published |
| Ferndown Middle School | 2 miles | Ofsted: Good | 45% met the expected standard |
| Ferndown First School | 2 miles | Ofsted: Good | Not published |
School details
- School type
- Academy converter
- Sector
- Academy
- Trust
- THE HEATH ACADEMY TRUST
- Age range
- 2 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Nursery classes
- Yes
- Headteacher
- Mrs Laura Crossley
- Phone
- 01202874838
- Address
- Station Road, West Moors, Ferndown, BH22 0JF
- Local authority
- Dorset
- URN
- 142514
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.