OFSTED
16 June 2026
Latest inspection
Latest published outcome
Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding
Met
Inclusion
Strong standard
Curriculum & teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour
Strong standard
Personal development
Strong standard
Leadership & governance
Strong standard
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
7 June 2022
Graded inspection
Good
Published
24 July 2022
2 October 2019
Ungraded inspection
School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next
Published
22 October 2019
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Community special school
Phase
Not applicable
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Does not apply
Local authority
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Trust
Not applicable
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
248
248 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
77
31.0% of pupils
Male pupils
171
69.0% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
13.5 pts
above England
School
38.3%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
19.5%
South West
20.1%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
7.4 pts
below England
School
12.9%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
16.9%
South West
10.7%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.2 pts
above England
School
1.2%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
4.1%
South West
1.5%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
83.1%
206
Any other White background
6.5%
16
Indian
2.0%
5
White and Black African
2.0%
5
White and Black Caribbean
1.6%
4
Any other Asian background
1.2%
3
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
100.0%
248 of
248 pupils
79.2 pts
above England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
14.8 pts
below
England
6.0%
94.0 pts
above
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
0.1
39.1 pts
below England
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
9.57%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
3.35 pts
higher than
England
School
9.57%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
6.58%
South West
6.20%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
27.44%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
11.63 pts
higher than
England
School
27.44%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
16.30%
South West
15.08%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
3.26%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
1.45 pts
higher than
England
School
3.26%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
2.12%
South West
1.90%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open not applicable schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
99.2%
19.4 pts
above England
Winchelsea School
99.2%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
88.0%
South West
82.1%
England
79.8%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.