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Reviewed

Castle Court

Independent school · Wimborne, BH21 3RF
  • Primary/prep
  • Co-ed
  • Ages 2-13
  • From £10,869 pa
  • 259 pupils
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Castle Court is a happy, family friendly prep where every pupil has a chance to shine. The school’s motto, ‘We have one childhood. It has to be the best’, is an ambition successfully realised at this (for now) hidden gem in the Dorset countryside. As one parent told us, ‘We couldn’t be happier with our choice.’

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Unlike other websites, schools can't pay to be included in The Good Schools Guide. This means our review of this school is independent, critical and fair, and written with parents' best interests at heart.

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Overview & data

Pupil numbers
259 ·
Religion
Christian
Fees
£10,869 - £22,680 pa
Local authority
Dorset
Area guides

Headteacher

Head

Katie Johnson

Since February 2024, Katie Johnson. Joined the school in 2016, progressing from director of studies to deputy head and now on to headship. Previously deputy head and DSL at Allenbourn Middle School. Studied theology at Exeter, then worked in state

Entrance

Usual entry points at nursery, reception, years 3 and 7 but places in other year groups are usually available. No formal assessment for entry but children attend a taster day prior to joining. Any SEN issues are discussed at registration so

Open days
March but please phone the school if you would like to arrange a private visit

Exit

Around a third leave at end of year 6 for local grammars. Some preparatory work is done to aid process (study skills in year 5 and after school reasoning clubs) but it’s not exhaustive. Majority leave in year 8 for entry to local co-ed schools:

Latest results

There are no results to show for this school. Find out more.

Teaching & learning

15
Average class sizes

Learning support & SEN

0.39 %
Students with a SEN EHCP
16.22 %
Students with SEN support

Mobile phone policy

A clear mobile phone policy is a really important part of modern schooling. This school has provided us with their policy.

Mobile phone policy

Provided by the school and not part of our review

Children are not permitted to have a mobile phone on site during the school day. If a phone is needed after school hours and needs to be brought into school in the morning then it needs to be handed into the school office for safe keeping before it is collected at the end of the school day.

Updated Oct 2025

Pupils

259
Number of pupils

Money matters

Value for money is top of everyone’s mind. School says, ‘We are making simple investments that make a big difference, like the new covered area to watch hockey or the outdoor classroom.’ No large bursary or scholarship fund but, ‘we try to help where

Fee information
£10,869 - £22,680 pa

Our view

Squirreled away down twisting country lanes, yet only a short drive from Poole and Bournemouth, Castle Court’s grounds are unrivalled locally. It has 10 acres of woods, a sizeable number of fields and well-designed play areas including a green wooden

The last word

Castle Court is a happy, family friendly prep where every pupil has a chance to shine. The school’s motto, ‘We have one childhood. It has to be the best’, is an ambition successfully realised at this (for now) hidden gem in the Dorset countryside. As

Inspection reports

What the school says

Set in 60 acres, Castle Court has an enviable academic record, complemented with a strong musical and artistic tradition and excellent contacts with national sports coaches. The school follows the Pre-Senior Baccalaureate (PSB), a knowledge rich, academically robust curriculum that has an equal emphasis on nurturing the core learning attributes for life: thinking and learning, reviewing and improving, collaboration, communication, independence and leadership. This approach has ensured that our children have not only gained scholarships at their senior schools of choice, but they have the resilience needed to help them navigate an ever changing and challenging world.

Contact the school

Address

Knoll Lane
Corfe Mullen
Wimborne
Dorset
BH21 3RF
Get directions

Telephone: 01202 694438

Email: jrobson@castlecourt.com

Website: https://www.castlecourt.com

Local authority: Dorset

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School data & information Castle Court Knoll Lane, Corfe Mullen, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 3RF
259 Pupil numbers
157/114 Pupil numbers boy/girls split
15 Average class sizes

Mobile phone policy

Provided by the school and not part of our review

Children are not permitted to have a mobile phone on site during the school day. If a phone is needed after school hours and needs to be brought into school in the morning then it needs to be handed into the school office for safe keeping before it is collected at the end of the school day.

Updated Oct 2025

This is an independent school and therefore does not have Key Stage 2 SATs results. While some independent schools choose to sit SATs, they are not required to do so and the UK government does not collect or publish their results. Find out more.

Entry and exit data

Here we report figures on pupils moving between schools at the usual entry and exit points, as well as student destinations into higher education. We publish publically available data for state schools. For independent schools, The Good Schools Guide collects data from its prep schools as to where their pupils go on to. Find out more

Our review contains additional entry and exit data reported to us and is updated annually. See the review

Recent leavers' destinations

SEN overview

Castle Court is a mainstream school. The school may provide support for students with special educational needs as detailed below. If you require more information on conditions the school can support, we encourage you to contact the school directly.

SEN statement

Provided by the school and not part of our review

Our hope is that all the children will be able to keep up with the general pace of academic life in the school, but we appreciate that, for some children to reach their full potential usually those with mild to moderate dyslexia or dyspraxia) a little extra support may be needed. An attractive purpose-built suite of rooms in a quiet part of the school provides a welcoming environment for those children with special needs. The department is well-equipped, including up-to-date computer software for pupils with mild learning difficulties. Four suitably qualified staff are able to deliver teaching programmes, generally on a one-to-one basis, tailored to meet the needs of the individual child.

In the junior part of the school we also provide assistance in the classroom, either to individuals or to small groups, as the need arises.

Updated Jun 2020
0.39 %
Students with a SEN EHCP UK mainstream school avg. 3%
16.22 %
Students with SEN support UK mainstream school avg. 14.1%

SEN conditons supported

Schools report the conditions they might be able to support. Please note, this may not be a complete list. Find out more.

Conditions (Might cover/be referred to as) Provision
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder Aspergers, Autism, High functioning autism, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), Social skills
HI - Hearing Impairment
MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty Learning needs
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment Sensory processing
OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability Downs Syndrome, Epilepsy, Genetic, Tics, Tourettes
PD - Physical Disability
PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty Complex needs, Global delay, Global developmental delay
SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health Anxiety, Complex needs, Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), Mental Health
SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication Selective mutism
SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty Complex needs
SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Auditory processing, Developmental Co-ordination Difficulties (DCD), Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Handwriting Yes
VI - Visual Impairment Special facilities for Visually Impaired
Our data explained
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