The Swanage School

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.

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

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 Swanage School attended 88.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 30.3% 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, 11.5% of pupils at The Swanage School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 The Swanage School had 15.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 33.1% 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, 23.8% of pupils at The Swanage School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 8.3% 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 Swanage School received £9,218 and spent £9,162 for each of its 339 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £221,000 (£652 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

What is The Swanage School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Swanage School is Good, from an inspection in December 2023.

When was The Swanage School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Swanage School was last inspected in December 2023.

How many pupils does The Swanage School have?

The Swanage School has 349 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Swanage School cover?

The Swanage School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are The Swanage School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.1, and 34% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Swanage School?

The Swanage School is at High Street, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 2PH.