Cranbourne

Cranbourne School is performing well overall, with significant strengths in personal development, safeguarding, and the quality of its curriculum. The school's commitment to ensuring that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disadvantaged students, receive effective support is commendable. The personal, social, and health education (PSHE) curriculum is of high quality, and pupils express confidence in their learning and application of knowledge. However, while academic outcomes are improving and in line with national averages, attendance remains a concern, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. Leaders have prioritized improving attendance and are actively implementing strategies to address this issue.

Strengths

• High-quality personal development curriculum.
• Effective safeguarding practices that ensure pupils feel safe.
• Strong support for vulnerable pupils, including those with SEND.
• Good progression and outcomes in the PSHE curriculum.
• Ambitious and well-structured curriculum across subjects.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' attendance is below national averages.
• Inconsistent use of assessment to inform next steps 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 Cranbourne attended 90.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 24.0% 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, 4.8% of pupils at Cranbourne were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 Cranbourne had 16.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.2% 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, 15.1% of pupils at Cranbourne were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 7.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 16 pupils.

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 Cranbourne received £7,864 and spent £7,533 for each of its 1,088 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £637,000 (£586 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 Basingstoke · Hampshire local authority: places and applications

What is Cranbourne's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Cranbourne is Needs attention, from an inspection in February 2026.

When was Cranbourne last inspected by Ofsted?

Cranbourne was last inspected in February 2026.

How many pupils does Cranbourne have?

Cranbourne has 1,088 pupils on roll.

What age range does Cranbourne cover?

Cranbourne for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Cranbourne's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.1, and 33% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Cranbourne?

Cranbourne is at Wessex Close, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 3NP.