The Sir John Colfox Academy

The Sir John Colfox Academy has been inspected and continues to be rated as a good school. Pupils feel valued and safe, benefiting from strong relationships with staff and a broad range of extracurricular activities. The curriculum is well-planned, allowing pupils to build on their knowledge over time. Recent curriculum improvements are positively impacting current students, although they have not yet reflected in published outcomes. The school is proactive in identifying learning gaps and addressing them effectively, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, the school faces challenges with behavior management and ensuring consistently high expectations among all staff.

Strengths

• Strong relationships between pupils and staff.
• Well-planned curriculum that promotes learning across subjects.
• Strong extracurricular opportunities for pupils.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND.
• Proactive approach to improving reading across the school.
• Positive links with local employers and community.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent implementation of the new behavior policy by some staff.
• Expectations of pupils' attitudes and work quality are not high enough among all staff.

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 Sir John Colfox Academy attended 90.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.6% 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, 5.8% of pupils at The Sir John Colfox Academy 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 Sir John Colfox Academy had 15.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.1% 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, 24.6% of pupils at The Sir John Colfox Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.5% 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 Sir John Colfox Academy received £10,138 and spent £10,359 for each of its 792 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £162,000 (£205 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of Initio Learning Trust, income was £7,286 and spending £7,320 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 Bridport · Dorset local authority: places and applications

The Sir John Colfox Academy is part of Initio Learning Trust, which runs 19 schools. The nearest others:

• Bridport Primary School Bridport
• Bridport, St Mary's Church of England Primary School Bridport
• Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School Bridport
• St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster Dorchester
• Lockyer's Middle School Wimborne
• Pamphill Church of England First School Wimborne
• Corfe Hills School Broadstone
• Queen Elizabeth's School Wimborne
• Witchampton Church of England First School Wimborne
• Allenbourn Middle School Wimborne

What is The Sir John Colfox Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Sir John Colfox Academy is Good, from an inspection in October 2023.

When was The Sir John Colfox Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Sir John Colfox Academy was last inspected in October 2023.

How many pupils does The Sir John Colfox Academy have?

The Sir John Colfox Academy has 756 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Sir John Colfox Academy cover?

The Sir John Colfox Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Sir John Colfox Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.9, and 43% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Sir John Colfox Academy?

The Sir John Colfox Academy is at Ridgeway, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3DT.