Cranborne Middle School

Cranborne Middle School has been inspected to assess its ongoing performance since being judged as good in its last inspection in June 2019. The findings suggest that the school's performance may be declining, particularly noted in writing outcomes for Year 6 and the consistency of teaching across subjects. While pupils generally appreciate the supportive environment and engaged in a variety of extracurricular activities, the school's ambitious curriculum is not being delivered effectively, leading to gaps in student learning, particularly in mathematics and written work presentation. The next inspection will be graded, reflecting these concerns.

Strengths

• Pupils feel welcomed and safe due to positive relationships with staff.
• The school offers a broad and inclusive curriculum with enriching experiences.
• There is a strong focus on personal development and leadership opportunities for pupils.
• Behaviour expectations are well understood and generally followed by pupils.
• Reading is prioritized, with dedicated time for pleasure reading and support for those needing help.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent presentation of written work leading to underachievement.
• Insufficient use of assessment feedback to inform future learning.
• Leaders lack strong oversight of curriculum impact leading to gaps in learning.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Cranborne Middle School attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 14.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 2.6% of pupils at Cranborne Middle School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Cranborne Middle School had 18.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 9.4% of pupils at Cranborne Middle School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Cranborne Middle School received £8,972 and spent £8,769 for each of its 266 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £135,000 (£507 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Wimborne · Dorset local authority: places and applications

What is Cranborne Middle School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Cranborne Middle School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Cranborne Middle School last inspected by Ofsted?

Cranborne Middle School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Cranborne Middle School have?

Cranborne Middle School has 265 pupils on roll.

What age range does Cranborne Middle School cover?

Cranborne Middle School for pupils aged 9 to 13.

What are Cranborne Middle School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Cranborne Middle School?

Cranborne Middle School is at Cranborne, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 5RP.