← School guide Admissions

Pamphill Church of England First School

Academy sponsor led in Wimborne, BH21 4EE, taking ages 5 to 9, 67 on roll.

Good Ofsted, Oct 2023
4.56 mi Admitted from, 2025/26
89% Full

Will an address get in?

In 2025/26, the furthest child offered a place lived 4.56 miles away.

Applying for September 2027? Primary applications close 15 January 2027; offers on 16 April 2027.

The circle is 4.56 miles, the distance the school admitted from in 2025/26.

This is not a catchment area. 4.56 miles was last year's outcome, not a boundary and not a promise.
How to read this

Most English schools do not have a catchment area. When Pamphill Church of England First School is oversubscribed, places go outward from the school until they run out, so the distance moves each year with how many families applied and where they lived.

Distances are measured from the postcode's centre, not a front door; a postcode covers a few houses. Siblings, looked-after children and faith criteria come before distance, so a school can fill before distance counts at all.

Real admission areas are not circular: the circle is the distance, not a boundary. The labels on the map are postcode districts whose centre falls inside it; each opens the district's guide.

The address on the closing date is the one the council uses. How admissions work.

One published year so far: 2025/26, from Dorset. With two or more, the map can draw any of them.

Source: Dorset, published admission distances, 2025/26

Two schools, both in reach

Two children, or a first and second preference? Add a second school to see where both are in reach, cheapest districts first. Only a school with a published distance can be added.

If the answer is no, you can appeal. In Dorset, 34 of 105 secondary appeals succeeded in 2025 (32.4%; England 19.9%), counted for all the council's schools together. How every council compares.

Other schools nearby with a published distance

The closest schools to Pamphill Church of England First School that also have a council-published admission distance, nearest first.

SchoolPhaseAdmitted fromAway
Wimborne First School and Nursery Both in reach Primary 1.13 mi 2025/26 0.9 mi
St Michael's Church of England Middle School, Colehill Both in reach Secondary 3.43 mi 2025/26 2.0 mi
Henbury View First School Both in reach Primary 3.47 mi 2025/26 2.4 mi
Rushcombe First School Both in reach Primary 0.52 mi 2025/26 2.5 mi
Colehill First School Both in reach Primary 1.02 mi 2025/26 2.6 mi
Hayeswood First School Both in reach Primary 0.81 mi 2025/26 2.7 mi

The distance as a picture

Pamphill Church of England First School catchment area map: the 4.56 mile admission distance, 2025/26 and the postcode districts inside it
Drawn to scale from the published figure, with the districts whose centre falls inside. Save the picture, or share this page and this is the card that appears.

What kind of school this is

Religious characterChurch of England
Sixth formDoes not have a sixth form
How full 67 pupils in 75 places (89% full)
TrustINITIO LEARNING TRUST
Local authorityDorset

Department for Education register (GIAS).

How the school is doing

Ofsted Good, inspected 23 October 2023

Ofsted, and the Department for Education's published performance data.

Who goes to Pamphill Church of England First School

Girls and boys47.8% girls, 52.2% boys
English as an additional language1.5% of pupils
Free school meals9.0% of pupils eligible

DfE school census, most recent published year.

What it costs to live within reach of Pamphill Church of England First School

Cheapest district inside the 4.56 miles: BH17, median £342,500. Dearest: BH21, £500,000.

DistrictAreaFrom the schoolMedian sold price
BH17 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 4.1 mi £342,500 106 sales
BH18 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 3.1 mi £450,000 114 sales
BH21 Dorset 1.7 mi £500,000 66 sales
How to read this

The postcode districts whose centre falls inside the 4.56 miles the school admitted from in 2025/26, cheapest first, by the median of real sales around each district's centre. A district is wide, so check the address itself, not the list. Districts without enough recorded sales to rank are not shown.

How this compares across England: what a tight gate costs, school by school.

Source: HM Land Registry sold prices, via each district's area guide

Getting to Pamphill Church of England First School by bus

No bus stop with a scheduled departure within 600 m of the school, in the timetables operators have published to the Bus Open Data Service.

The fee-paying alternative

Weighing Pamphill Church of England First School against the independent sector? Every fee-paying school around BH21: ages, selection, and how full each one is → What it costs to live at BH21 4EE, by the school: council tax, energy, prices, rent, stamp duty →

Checking the house as well as the school

The full report checks one address against every nearby school, with sold prices, flood risk and crime.

Common questions

What is the catchment area for Pamphill Church of England First School?

Pamphill Church of England First School does not have one in the sense most people mean. Like most English schools, an oversubscribed year offers places outward from the school until they run out. The nearest thing to an answer: the furthest child admitted in 2025/26 lived 4.56 miles away, per Dorset.

How close do I need to live to get a place at Pamphill Church of England First School?

Nobody can say in advance, and anyone who does is guessing. 4.56 miles was enough in 2025/26. The distance moves every year with the number of applications, so treat last year's figure as evidence, not a promise.

Does buying a house near Pamphill Church of England First School guarantee a place?

No. Admission criteria usually put looked-after children, siblings and faith criteria ahead of distance, so places can be filled before distance is reached. Councils also check that the address is genuinely where the child lives.

Every Dorset school's distance

All Dorset schools with a published admission distance, tightest first →
How school admissions actually work, and what the distance means →

Put Pamphill Church of England First School's figure on your own site

A small badge with the published distance that links back here, for a school website, parents' group or forum.

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Pamphill Church of England First School badge

Admission distance published by Dorset. School details from the Department for Education's register, ratings from Ofsted. Read how every figure on this site is sourced on the methodology page. If something here looks wrong, tell us and it goes on the accuracy log.