Cerne Abbas CofE VC First School
Duck Street, Dorchester, DT2 7LA
77 pupils · 103% of 75 capacity
- Phase
- Primary
- Type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 3–9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Free school meals
- 5.7%
Ofsted
Good (2023) — Rated under the pre-September 2024 inspection system
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 12 July 2023, published 25 September 2023. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 1 first-choice application per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 16 | 16 | 27 | 16 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 10 | 10 | 16 | 10 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 11 | 11 | 22 | 11 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 15 | 15 | 29 | 15 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 15 | 17 | 26 | 15 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 14 | 13 | 26 | 14 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 14 | 13 | 19 | 13 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 8 | 8 | 29 | 8 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Piddle Valley Church of England First School 4.7 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School 4.9 km · Most areas: Expected standard (2026)
- Maiden Newton, Greenford Church of England Primary School 7.7 km · Good (2024) · previous system
- St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster 8.7 km · No Ofsted rating
- Sticklands Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School 9.4 km · No overall grade (2024)
- Cheselbourne Village School 9.7 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.