School profile

Dunster First School

Primary · Community school · Minehead, TA24 6RX

Good

Map showing Dunster First School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

Dunster First School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 17 Sept 2014

Ofsted rating
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Early years
Good

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeCommunity school
Ages4 to 9
Pupils86
GenderMixed
Head teacherMrs Lucy Walker-Blair
Local authoritySomerset
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 123643.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils86
Girls34
Boys52
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.14%
First language not English7%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.150
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.42.7%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.7
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.0
Average class size28.7

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
86%
Other White
5.8%
Other mixed
3.5%
White and Asian
1.2%
African
1.2%
Irish
0%
Traveller of Irish heritage
0%
Gypsy/Roma
0%
White and Black Caribbean
0%
White and Black African
0%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher17.7
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.10
Teachers (FTE)4.86
Teaching assistants (FTE)3.56
Support staff (FTE)9.36
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/256
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/255
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/251

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.17
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.32
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.17
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.16
Applications from another local authority (Reception)0

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolSomersetEngland
Overall absence6.3%, worse than England, worse than Somerset5.3%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.13.7%, similar to England, similar to Somerset13.1%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.1.4%, similar to England, similar to Somerset1%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate4.9%
Pupils with one or more suspensions1.9%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Dunster First School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
1.1 miSecondaryWest Somerset CollegeAcademy converter
Requires improvement
1.6 miMiddle deemed secondaryMinehead Middle SchoolAcademy converter
Requires improvement
1.9 miPrimaryMinehead First SchoolAcademy converter
Good

Frequently asked questions about Dunster First School

What is Dunster First School's Ofsted rating?

Dunster First School is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 17 Sept 2014.

How hard is it to get into Dunster First School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Dunster First School made 17 offers from 32 applications (1.9 per offer), and 16 of 17 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Dunster First School?

Dunster First School has 86 pupils aged 4 to 9.

What is the capacity of Dunster First School?

Dunster First School had 150 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Dunster First School?

At Dunster First School, the average class had 28.7 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 17.7 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Dunster First School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Dunster First School missed 6.3% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 13.7% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.