Dorchester Middle School

State-Funded School

dorchester-middle-school-dorset-south-west

South WestRegion

DorsetLocal Authority

West DorsetConstituency

DT1 2HSPostcode

0.2

Academic Performance

Ofsted

About the School

Dorchester Middle School is a state-funded secondary for pupils aged 9–13, located in Dorset, South West.

The school is rated Requires improvement by Ofsted. It currently serves 527 pupils. Dorchester Middle School is part of WESSEX MULTI ACADEMY TRUST.

Ofsted Rating

Safeguarding effective

Yes

Rating last maintained

2023

Subject Areas

Leadership &management

Requires improvement

Quality ofeducation

Requires improvement

Personaldevelopment

Good

Behaviour &attitudes

Requires improvement

Academic Performance

Well below average

Ranked against primary schools in England · 2023-24

Reading, writing & maths: 52%
Higher standard: 2%
Reading score: 104
Maths score: 101

Ethnicity

White

83%

Asian

10%

Black

Mixed

Chinese

<1%

Any other group

Unclassified

<1%

Pupils

527

Total Pupils

49%Boys

51%Girls

Pupil Characteristics

Free school meals

22%

England average

27%

First language not English

14%

England average

22%

Young carers

England average

0%25%50%75%100%

DfE school census, January 2026.

Key Information

Phase: Secondary
Age range: 9 – 13
Deprivation band: Less deprived
Total pupils: 527
IDACI quintile: 2 (More deprived)
MAT name: WESSEX MULTI ACADEMY TRUST

Inspection history

2 graded inspections published by Ofsted. Ungraded and monitoring visits are not shown.

Report published					Overall
1 Aug 2023	Requires improvement	Requires improvement	Good	Requires improvement	Requires improvement
18 Jun 2019	Requires improvement	Not reported in this inspection	Not reported in this inspection	Not reported in this inspection	Requires improvement

A grey dot means Ofsted did not report that judgement in the inspection of the day — the sub-judgements shown here were introduced with the 2019 framework.

Ofsted data as at 31 December 2024. A school may have been inspected since, or had an ungraded visit that does not change its grade — check Ofsted’s own record.