The Swanage School

Type Secondary / Free schools
Age Range 11-16
Religion Unknown
Address High Street
Swanage
Dorset
BH19 2PH
Phone 01929500599
Reference Number 139376

The Swanage School has been rated as good overall, with particularly strong performance in personal development, which has been identified as outstanding. The school fosters a strong sense of community, where positive relationships between staff and students lead to good behavior and low instances of bullying. The curriculum is designed to be ambitious and meaningful, preparing students for their futures through innovative projects and a strong emphasis on extra-curricular activities. While the school has noteworthy strengths, it also faces some challenges regarding the early stages of curriculum development in certain subjects and a need for clearer strategies to support struggling readers.

General Makeup

Number of pupils 339
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 48.38%
Girls: 51.62%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 31.9%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 10.3%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 18.9

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
7 37 26 63
8 35 40 75
9 30 40 70
10 29 33 62
11 33 36 69

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 82%
White, Other 5.9%
Unclassified 3.8%
Indian 3.2%
White & Asian 1.2%
White & Black (African) 1.2%
African 0.9%
Mixed, Other 0.6%
White & Black (Caribbean) 0.3%

Overall Ofsted Rating Good
 >  Quality of education Good
  >  Behaviour & Attitude Good
  >  Personal Development Outstanding
  >  Leadership & Management Good
Last Report Date 07 Nov 2023
Date Report
07 Nov 2023 School inspection:
13 Mar 2018 Short inspection
20 May 2015 Full inspection:

Strengths

  • Strong community with positive relationships between staff and pupils
  • Culture of tolerance and kindness with rare instances of bullying
  • Innovative curriculum that prepares pupils for future challenges
  • Wide range of extra-curricular activities, including national and international trips
  • Effective support for SEND students, allowing them to learn alongside peers
  • Strong focus on personal development and digital literacy

Areas for Improvement

  • Some curriculum areas are in early stages of development, lacking evaluation of effectiveness
  • Lack of clear strategy for diagnosing and supporting struggling readers

Attainment 8 Score

Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:

  • English
  • Maths
  • 3 subjects from qualifications that count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), like sciences, language and history
  • 3 more GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or technical awards from a list approved by the Department for Education

Each grade a pupil gets is assigned a point score from 9 (the highest) to 1 (the lowest). These scores are added up, with English and maths counted twice.

School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
36.9

GCSE Results

Metric School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Grade 5 or above in English and maths 20.3%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4 (or A-C) 33.3%

Attainment 8 Score

Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:

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GCSE Results

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2025 Admissions

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 37 0
Third Preference 13 1
From another Local Authority 0 0

Previous Years

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Destinations after GCSE's

Staying in Education
 >  Further Education
 >  School Sixth Form
 >  Sixth Form College
 >  Other Education
Apprenticeships
Employment
Not in education or employment
Unknown

Name Distance
Swanage St Mark's Church of England Primary School
High Street, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 2PH
0 miles
St George's Church of England Primary School, Langton Matravers
High Street, Langton Matravers, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 3HB
0.84 miles
Swanage Primary School
Swanage Primary School, Mount Scar, Mount Scar, Swanage Primary School, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 2EY
1.03 miles
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Swanage
Northbrook Road, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 1QE
1.1 miles
Corfe Castle Church of England Primary School
East Street, Corfe Castle, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5EE
3.5 miles
Name Distance
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