The Burgate School and Sixth Form

The Burgate School and Sixth Form continues to uphold high academic standards and foster a supportive environment that prioritizes the well-being and personal development of its pupils. This first ungraded inspection since 2019 confirms the school's effective action in maintaining its previous strengths, including an inclusive ethos, exemplary behavior, and a strong curriculum that goes beyond just preparing students for exams. The school is praised for its rich extracurricular programs and strong pastoral support, contributing to positive student experiences and outcomes.

Strengths

• The school provides a welcoming and inclusive environment for all pupils.
• Exemplary behavior is observed both in lessons and during social times.
• The curriculum is ambitious and includes unique cross-curricular projects.
• Pupils achieve well in public examinations, including those with SEND.
• There is a strong focus on character development through varied extracurricular activities.
• High-quality pastoral support and effective safeguarding measures are in place.

Areas for Improvement

• Consistency in pedagogical approaches across the curriculum needs improvement.

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 The Burgate School and Sixth Form attended 93.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 17.7% 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 The Burgate School and Sixth Form were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 The Burgate School and Sixth Form had 16.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.3% 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, 10.8% of pupils at The Burgate School and Sixth Form were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.2% 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 2024–25 The Burgate School and Sixth Form received £6,985 and spent £7,271 for each of its 1,098 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £539,000 (£491 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

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All schools in Fordingbridge · Hampshire local authority: places and applications

What is The Burgate School and Sixth Form's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Burgate School and Sixth Form is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was The Burgate School and Sixth Form last inspected by Ofsted?

The Burgate School and Sixth Form was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does The Burgate School and Sixth Form have?

The Burgate School and Sixth Form has 1,073 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Burgate School and Sixth Form cover?

The Burgate School and Sixth Form for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Burgate School and Sixth Form's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 52.2, and 59% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Burgate School and Sixth Form?

The Burgate School and Sixth Form is at Salisbury Road, Fordingbridge, Hampshire, SP6 1EZ.