Schools by area › Dorset › Damers First School
Damers First School
Primary · Mixed · Ages 4–9 · Academy
Liscombe Street, Poundbury, Dorchester DT1 3DF · damers.wessex.ac · 01305 264924
Overview
- Ofsted
- Standards maintained
- Ungraded inspection · Feb 2025
- Demand for places
- 0.9
- first choices for each place · Reception, September 2026
- Pupils
- 475
- 79% of 600 places
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Nursery class
- No
- Free school meals
- 19.2%
- First language not English
- 13.1%
- School census 2025/26
The official school record (Department for Education)
Admissions
For Reception in September 2026, 68 families put the school first and 75 places were offered; 100% of those families were offered a place there. Admission depends on the school’s own rules.
First choices against places
| Reception | Places | First choices | Per place | % offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026Sept 2026 | 75 | 68 | 0.9 | 100% |
| September 2025Sept 2025 | 81 | 63 | 0.8 | 100% |
| September 2024Sept 2024 | 89 | 83 | 0.9 | 95% |
| September 2023Sept 2023 | 88 | 84 | 1 | 100% |
| September 2022Sept 2022 | 89 | 86 | 1 | 92% |
Ofsted
At an ungraded inspection on 12 February 2025, Ofsted’s outcome for Damers First School was: Standards maintained.
- Outcome
- Standards maintained
- Inspected
- 11 Feb 2025
- Ungraded inspection
Safeguarding effectiveInspection reports
Previously: Good, graded inspection, Oct 2017
Earlier inspections
Including inspections of the predecessor school (URN 113665), which Ofsted links to this one.
Before September 2019
Oct 2017Good
Outcomes for pupils Good Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good Leadership and management Good Early years Good Safeguarding Effective Inspection of the predecessor school (URN 113665)
Jan 2009Outstanding
Outcomes for pupils Outstanding Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years Outstanding Inspection of the predecessor school (URN 113665)
What parents said
92% of the parents who answered Ofsted’s Parent View survey would recommend the school (93 replies, to 1 September 2025).
- Recommend
- 92%
- Replies
- 93
- 19% · 1 Sept 2025
based on the 74% who raised concerns
based on the 29% who had a child bullied
based on 22 parents (24%) with SEND