How far Dorset schools admitted from
For every oversubscribed school, Dorset publishes how far away the last child offered a place lived. This is that figure for 34 schools, tightest first. A short distance means a school that fills up close to its gates; a long one means places went further afield.
The tightest is St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester at 0.39 miles in 2025/26; the most far-reaching, Broadwindsor Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, admitted from 12.28 miles.
Primary schools
| School | Ofsted | Admitted from | Round | How full |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester | No current grade | 0.39 mi | 2025/26 | 97% |
| Rushcombe First School Wimborne | Outstanding | 0.52 mi | 2025/26 | 102% |
| Hayeswood First School Wimborne | Good | 0.81 mi | 2025/26 | 99% |
| St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School Weymouth | No current grade | 0.86 mi | 2025/26 | 101% |
| The Prince of Wales School Dorchester | No current grade | 0.87 mi | 2025/26 | 104% |
| Trinity Church of England First School Verwood | No current grade | 0.95 mi | 2025/26 | 85% |
| Colehill First School Wimborne | Good | 1.02 mi | 2025/26 | 99% |
| Bincombe Valley Primary School Weymouth | No current grade | 1.1 mi | 2025/26 | 84% |
| Radipole Primary School Weymouth | No current grade | 1.12 mi | 2025/26 | 98% |
| Wimborne First School and Nursery Wimborne | Good | 1.13 mi | 2025/26 | 130% |
| Oakhurst Community First School Ferndown | Good | 1.17 mi | 2025/26 | 83% |
| Parley First School Ferndown | Good | 1.42 mi | 2025/26 | 99% |
| Wool Church of England Primary School Wareham | Good | 1.44 mi | 2025/26 | 82% |
| St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster Dorchester | No current grade | 1.47 mi | 2025/26 | 99% |
| Southill Primary School Weymouth | Good | 1.56 mi | 2025/26 | 97% |
| Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Wareham | Good | 1.64 mi | 2025/26 | 79% |
| St Ives Primary & Nursery School Ringwood | Outstanding | 2.6 mi | 2025/26 | 102% |
| Conifers Primary School Weymouth | Good | 2.65 mi | 2025/26 | 83% |
| Lytchett Matravers Primary School Poole | Good | 2.69 mi | 2025/26 | 111% |
| Salway Ash Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Bridport | Good | 2.99 mi | 2025/26 | 104% |
| Hazelbury Bryan Primary School Sturminster Newton | Good | 3.31 mi | 2025/26 | 96% |
| Henbury View First School Wimborne | Good | 3.47 mi | 2025/26 | 96% |
| St James Church of England First School Wimborne | No current grade | 3.55 mi | 2025/26 | 107% |
| St George's Church of England School, Bourton Gillingham | No current grade | 3.63 mi | 2025/26 | 119% |
| Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Bridport | No current grade | 3.99 mi | 2025/26 | 96% |
| Pamphill Church of England First School Wimborne | Good | 4.56 mi | 2025/26 | 89% |
| Broadwindsor Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Beaminster | Requires improvement | 12.28 mi | 2025/26 | 89% |
Secondary schools
| School | Ofsted | Admitted from | Round | How full |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Michael's Church of England Middle School, Colehill Wimborne | No current grade | 3.43 mi | 2025/26 | 101% |
| Cranborne Middle School Wimborne | No current grade | 4.27 mi | 2025/26 | 104% |
| St Osmund's Church of England Middle School Dorchester | Good | 4.47 mi | 2025/26 | 99% |
| Ferndown Upper School Ferndown | No current grade | 5.15 mi | 2025/26 | 99% |
| West Moors Middle School Ferndown | Good | 5.23 mi | 2025/26 | 100% |
| Lytchett Minster School Poole | No current grade | 5.25 mi | 2025/26 | 98% |
| Gillingham School Gillingham | Good | 6.96 mi | 2025/26 | 91% |
Reading the numbers
These are not catchment areas: most English schools have none. Each figure is the distance from the school to the home of the furthest child who was offered a place under the distance criterion in that round, as Dorset measures it, which is usually a straight line from a fixed point at the home to one at the school. Looked-after children, siblings and, at faith schools, faith criteria come before distance, so a school can fill before distance is reached at all. The figure moves every year with the number of applications. How the whole process works →
Checking an address against these
Each school's page has a checker that measures a postcode against that school's distance. The full property report measures every nearby school at once, alongside sold prices, flood risk and the rest of the house.
Admission distances published by Dorset. School details and grades from the Department for Education's register and Ofsted. If a figure looks wrong, tell us and it goes on the accuracy log.