The Priory Church of England Primary School

About The Priory Church of England Primary School

The Priory Church of England Primary School in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has been rated Good across the board in its most recent Ofsted inspection, a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating. The school’s academic story is best told through its Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 year, where 73% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That figure sits comfortably above the local authority average of 63%, placing the school 10th out of 50 primary schools in the area and in the top quarter nationally. Digging deeper, reading stands out as a particular strength: 90% of pupils reached the expected standard and 40% achieved a higher score. Maths and writing also performed well, with 80% and 87% hitting the expected mark respectively. The school’s overall ranking score of 73 reflects solid, consistent outcomes across the core subjects.

The Ofsted inspection, carried out in February 2022, awarded Good ratings for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This represents a clear turnaround from the 2018 inspection, where overall effectiveness was judged as Requires Improvement and both leadership and early years provision were rated as requiring improvement. The current headteacher, Simon Croutear, leads a school of 203 pupils, operating very close to its capacity of 210. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 10.3%, slightly below the national average. While the school does not publish progress scores for Key Stage 2, the attainment data suggests pupils are arriving at secondary school well prepared, particularly in reading where the average scaled score of 108 is notably strong.

The Priory is a Church of England primary school for mixed-gender pupils aged 4 to 11, and it is clearly a popular choice among local families. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 112 applications for just 29 places, with 30 first-preference applications competing for 26 offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.86. Facilities include playing fields, a library, an outdoor playground, an ICT suite, a sensory room and a chapel. The school offers a range of clubs from coding and chess to gardening and science, and sports include gymnastics, athletics, rounders and netball. SEND provision covers moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication, multi-sensory impairment, and other difficulties. This is a school that suits families who value strong academic outcomes within a Christian ethos, and who are prepared for a competitive admissions process.

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