The Priory Church of England Primary School
Voluntary aided primary school in Christchurch (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole).
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
We are proud to be a Church of England primary school and we hold close links with Christchurch Priory at the heart of the towns community, A daily Christian act of worship is an important part of life at the Priory School. We enjoy our weekly visits from the Open the Book team and the Christchurch Priory ministry team.
Our connection to Christchurch Priory stretches back to 1662, when a school was established within St. Michaels Loft within the Priory building itself. In 1867, Priory School in Wick Lane (our current site) opened and became the main school children in the town attended. Our school logo of the salmon on the cross mirrors the weather vane on top of Christchurch Priorys tower.
Way back in the Church's history, the first salmon of the season was presented to the Prior of the Priory at the time. This mark of sacrifice is something we have celebrated and has helped us to think about how we can make small sacrifices of our own to show our love and friendship to others.
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Enrichment
2 activitiesiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Philosophy for Children (P4C)
- Forest School
Awards
3 awardsiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Eco SchoolsEnvironment
- Healthy SchoolsHealth and wellbeing
- Inclusion Quality MarkInclusion
Key facts
- URN
- 113847
- Type
- Voluntary aided school
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Sixth form
- Does not have a sixth form
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Local authority
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Constituency
- Christchurch
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Governing body (11 current, 4 former)
Maintained school governing body.
Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Geoff Tabor Former | Chair of Governors | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2023 · term ended 2026 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs Arielle Maslin | Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mr Benjamin Sims | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mr Simon Croutear | Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2025 |
| Mr Richard Partridge | Governor | Ex-officio foundation governor (appointed by foundation by virtue of the office they hold) | since 2025 |
| Mrs Lindsey Stevenson | Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mr Alex Maslin | Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mrs Chloe Wright | Governor | Elected by school staff | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mrs Leonie Hurrell | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mrs Anita Penny | Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mrs Sally Hawkridge | Governor | Appointed by LA | since 2021 · until 2029 |
| Mr Dominic Jones | Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2021 · until 2029 |
| Mrs Genevieve Ross Former | Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2023 · term ended 2025 |
| Mr Tim Hewitt Former | Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2023 · term ended 2026 |
| Mrs Suzanne Gosling Former | Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2022 · term ended 2026 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 25 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record