Allenbourn Middle School

Allenbourn Middle School is a generally strong school where leaders are ambitious for pupils and have created a clear vision that is driving rising outcomes. Behaviour and attitudes and personal development were judged outstanding: pupils are highly courteous, lessons are rarely disrupted, safeguarding arrangements are effective, and pupils benefit from an extensive extra-curricular offer, strong reading provision and a well-developed personal development programme. Pupils with SEND are identified accurately and supported well, and the school's bespoke middle-school curriculum includes specialist teaching in some subjects. The quality of education and leadership and management were judged good. The main areas for improvement are that assessment information is not consistently used to adapt teaching and fill gaps or misconceptions, and those responsible for governance do not have sufficient independent systems to assure themselves of the quality of education, leaving them overly reliant on leaders' self-evaluation. This was the first routine section 5 inspection of the school, which is an academy converter within the Initio Learning Trust and was previously judged outstanding before opening as an academy. Under current arrangements from September 2024, no overall effectiveness grade was awarded.

Strengths

• Pupils show exceptionally positive attitudes to learning and disruption is rare.
• Behaviour and attitudes are outstanding, with a Rights Respecting ethos and high courtesy.
• Personal development is outstanding and prepares pupils well for adult life.
• Pupils are exceptionally knowledgeable about fundamental British Values and protected characteristics.
• The extra-curricular offer is extensive and pupil engagement is impressively high.
• Reading is at the heart of the school, with strong support for pupils who need help.
• Pupils with SEND are identified accurately and learn the curriculum as well as their peers.
• The bespoke curriculum includes specialist teaching and extends beyond the national curriculum in some subjects.
• Careers information and employer engagement help pupils be aspirational.
• Staff feel valued, are considerate of workload and well-being, and benefit from professional development.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment information is not consistently used to adapt curriculum and activity selection, so gaps and misconceptions can remain.
• Governance lacks sufficient systems to assure itself independently of the quality of education and is overly reliant on leaders' self-evaluation.

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 Allenbourn Middle School attended 93.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 18.3% 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, 1.8% of pupils at Allenbourn Middle School 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 Allenbourn Middle School had 21.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.5% 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, 13.4% of pupils at Allenbourn Middle School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.0% 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 Allenbourn Middle School received £6,734 and spent £6,026 for each of its 512 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £105,000 (£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 Wimborne · Dorset local authority: places and applications

Allenbourn Middle School is part of Initio Learning Trust, which runs 19 schools. The nearest others:

• St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne Wimborne
• Queen Elizabeth's School Wimborne
• St Michael's Church of England Middle School, Colehill Wimborne
• Pamphill Church of England First School Wimborne
• Merley First School Wimborne
• Colehill First School Wimborne
• Hayeswood First School Wimborne
• Lockyer's Middle School Wimborne
• Corfe Hills School Broadstone
• Witchampton Church of England First School Wimborne

What is Allenbourn Middle School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Allenbourn Middle School is Good, from an inspection in February 2025.

When was Allenbourn Middle School last inspected by Ofsted?

Allenbourn Middle School was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does Allenbourn Middle School have?

Allenbourn Middle School has 499 pupils on roll.

What age range does Allenbourn Middle School cover?

Allenbourn Middle School for pupils aged 9 to 13.

What are Allenbourn Middle School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Allenbourn Middle School?

Allenbourn Middle School is at East Borough, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 1PL.