Find the best primary schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has 68 primary schools, all in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 68, 23 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Avonwood Primary School | Mixed | 4.9 / 5 |
| Canford Heath Infant School | Mixed | 4.9 / 5 |
| Mudeford Community Infants' School | Mixed | 4.9 / 5 |
| St. Walburga's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 4.8 / 5 |
| Winton Primary School | Mixed | 4.8 / 5 |
| Springdale First School | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| Twynham Primary School | Mixed | 4.5 / 5 |
| Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School |
There are 68 primary schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Of those, 2 are all-through schools, teaching both primary and secondary years.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 68 primary schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, 23 have a religious character: 16 Church of England and 7 Roman Catholic. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Avonwood Primary School (4.9), Canford Heath Infant School (4.9), Mudeford Community Infants' School (4.9), St. Walburga's Catholic Primary School (4.8) and Winton Primary School (4.8). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. All 68 schools here have a rating.
| Mixed |
| 4.5 / 5 |
| St Clement's and St John's Church of England Infant School | Church of England | 4.5 / 5 |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch | Roman Catholic | 4.4 / 5 |
| St Katharine's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.4 / 5 |
| Old Town Infant School and Nursery | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| Queen's Park Infant Academy | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| Courthill Infant School | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| The Epiphany School | Church of England | 4.4 / 5 |
| Baden-Powell and St Peter's Church of England Junior School | Church of England | 4.3 / 5 |
| Queen's Park Academy | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Muscliff Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Canford Heath Junior School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Mudeford Junior School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Moordown St John's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.2 / 5 |
| Lilliput Church of England Infant School | Church of England | 4.2 / 5 |
| Merley First School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Broadstone First School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Stourfield Junior School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Stourfield Infant School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Livingstone Academy Bournemouth | all-through | 4.1 / 5 |
| St Michael's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
| Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 4.0 / 5 |
| St James' Church of England Primary Academy | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| Elm Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Pokesdown Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Ad Astra Infant School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Hillbourne Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Ocean Academy Poole | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Stanley Green Infant Academy | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Longfleet Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| Haymoor Junior School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Poole | Roman Catholic | 3.7 / 5 |
| Talbot Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| St Peter's Catholic Comprehensive School | Roman Catholic, all-through | 3.7 / 5 |
| St Mark's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.7 / 5 |
| Bishop Aldhelm's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 |
| Jewell Academy Bournemouth | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Poole | Roman Catholic | 3.6 / 5 |
| Christchurch Infant School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| King's Park Academy | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Kingsleigh Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Bayside Academy | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Kinson Academy | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Oakdale Junior School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Hill View Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Livingstone Road Infant School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Christchurch Junior School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Burton Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.2 / 5 |
| Manorside Academy | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Highcliffe St Mark Primary School | Church of England | 3.1 / 5 |
| Bearwood Primary and Nursery School | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| The Priory Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.0 / 5 |
| Heatherlands Primary School | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| Hamworthy Park Junior School | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| Bethany Church of England Junior School | Church of England | 2.7 / 5 |
| St Luke's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 2.7 / 5 |
| Somerford Primary School | Mixed | 2.7 / 5 |
| Malmesbury Park Primary School | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Christ The King Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 2.5 / 5 |
| Heathlands Primary Academy | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 |
| Livingstone Road Junior School | Mixed | 2.4 / 5 |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.