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State secondary schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

23 schools · South West · 2024/25 Department for Education figures

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has 23 state secondaries, 17 of them with sixth forms, 4 grammar schools among them. 86.4% of families got their first choice last year, about the national picture. Results run from 13.6% to 96% passing English and maths, a spread of 82 points, with a middle school at 52.6%, above England's 45.4%.

Of those Ofsted has graded, 5 rated Outstanding, 12 Good. 6 schools carry no overall grade at all — either inspected since Ofsted stopped issuing one in September 2024, or never inspected.

23 schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Tap one, or see the full list.
14% 96% passed English & maths no figure

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole against England

State-funded schools, 2024/25

57%

Passed English & maths grade 5 or above

11.3% above England

England 45%

50.5

Attainment 8 average score

4.4 above England

England 46.1

20%

Persistently absent missed 10% of sessions

1.7% below England

England 21%

Getting a place

2026/27 secondary admissions round, across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

86.4%

Got their first choiceof those who applied

England 84%

96.1%

Got one of their threefirst, second or third

0.3%

Got no offer at allfrom any preference

17%

Appeals upheld31 of 185 heard

These are figures for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole as a whole. A popular school can be much harder to get into than the average suggests, and the criteria that decide it are set by each school's own admission authority rather than centrally. How applying works

How much the choice matters here

Across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole's 22 schools, the share passing English and maths runs from 14% to 96%. That is a spread of 82 percentage points, wider than most councils.

The typical council spans about 48 points. Where schools are close together the school a child gets matters less; where they are far apart it matters a great deal. The widest spreads are all selective areas, where grammar schools sit at one end and everything else at the other.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole schools, subject by subject

The share reaching grade 4 or above, among schools entering at least 20 pupils. Which pupils take a subject differs a lot between schools, so read this as what happened rather than as a ranking of teaching.

mathshistorygeographyenglish literatureenglish languagecombined sciencefrenchartreligious studiesbusiness studiesspanishphysicschemistrybiologydesign technologycomputer sciencephysical educationfood technology
  1. 1 Bournemouth School for Girls Bournemouth · 177 entries 99%
  2. 2 Bournemouth School Bournemouth · 173 entries 99%
  3. 3 Parkstone Grammar School Poole · 186 entries 98%
  4. 4 Poole Grammar School Poole · 176 entries 97%
  5. 5 Glenmoor Academy Bournemouth · 173 entries 90%
  6. 6 Twynham School Christchurch · 253 entries 85%
  7. 7 Winton Academy Bournemouth · 173 entries 84%
  8. 8 The Bishop of Winchester Academy Bournemouth · 194 entries 80%
  9. 9 Poole High School Poole · 293 entries 79%
  10. 10 Corfe Hills School Broadstone · 230 entries 77%
  11. 11 St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole Poole · 171 entries 77%
  12. 12 Highcliffe School Christchurch · 252 entries 75%
  13. 13 The Bourne Academy Bournemouth · 151 entries 69%
  14. 14 Magna Academy Poole · 175 entries 69%
  15. 15 St Peter's Catholic Comprehensive School Bournemouth · 238 entries 68%
  16. 16 LeAF Studio Bournemouth · 78 entries 67%
  17. 17 Avonbourne Boys' Academy Bournemouth · 161 entries 65%
  18. 18 The Cornerstone Academy Poole · 100 entries 59%
  19. 19 The Grange School Christchurch · 79 entries 56%
  20. 20 St Aldhelm's Academy Poole · 154 entries 49%
  21. 21 Oak Academy Bournemouth · 83 entries 40%
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Every school in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Schools in neighbouring authorities are not in this list, because admissions run per authority. See bordering areas.

5 of 23 have no spare places. Sort the list, or narrow it first.

  • Avonbourne Boys' Academy Bournemouth · Outstanding.
    Eng & maths
    59%
    Attainment 8
    47.3
    Absence
    19%
  • Avonbourne Girls Academy Bournemouth · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
    Eng & maths
    62%
    Attainment 8
    53
    Absence
    18%
  • Bournemouth School Bournemouth · Outstanding. · no spare places
    Eng & maths
    96%
    Attainment 8
    74.2
    Absence
    10%
  • Bournemouth School for Girls Bournemouth · Outstanding. · no spare places
    Eng & maths
    96%
    Attainment 8
    72.2
    Absence
    11%
  • Corfe Hills School Broadstone · Good.
    Eng & maths
    46%
    Attainment 8
    46.7
    Absence
    29%
  • Glenmoor Academy Bournemouth · Outstanding.
    Eng & maths
    79%
    Attainment 8
    60.7
    Absence
    14%
  • Highcliffe School Christchurch · Good. · no spare places
    Eng & maths
    46%
    Attainment 8
    47
    Absence
    18%
  • LeAF Studio Bournemouth · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
    Eng & maths
    31%
    Attainment 8
    42.4
    Absence
    27%
  • Livingstone Academy Bournemouth Bournemouth · Good.
    Eng & maths
    —
    Attainment 8
    —
    Absence
    19%
  • Magna Academy Poole · Good.
    Eng & maths
    41%
    Attainment 8
    44.3
    Absence
    25%
  • Oak Academy Bournemouth · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
    Eng & maths
    14%
    Attainment 8
    32.5
    Absence
    26%
  • Parkstone Grammar School Poole · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
    Eng & maths
    90%
    Attainment 8
    68.5
    Absence
    12%
  • Poole Grammar School Poole · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
    Eng & maths
    96%
    Attainment 8
    70.2
    Absence
    12%
  • Poole High School Poole · Good.
    Eng & maths
    56%
    Attainment 8
    51
    Absence
    25%
  • St Aldhelm's Academy Poole · Inspected under the current report card, which gives no overall grade.
    Eng & maths
    22%
    Attainment 8
    33.6
    Absence
    34%
  • St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole Poole · Good.
    Eng & maths
    51%
    Attainment 8
    46.4
    Absence
    19%
  • St Peter's Catholic Comprehensive School Bournemouth · Good. · no spare places
    Eng & maths
    47%
    Attainment 8
    47
    Absence
    22%
  • The Bishop of Winchester Academy Bournemouth · Good.
    Eng & maths
    53%
    Attainment 8
    49.6
    Absence
    27%
  • The Bourne Academy Bournemouth · Good.
    Eng & maths
    44%
    Attainment 8
    44.2
    Absence
    25%
  • The Cornerstone Academy Poole · Good.
    Eng & maths
    37%
    Attainment 8
    41
    Absence
    31%
  • The Grange School Christchurch · Inspected under the current report card, which gives no overall grade.
    Eng & maths
    33%
    Attainment 8
    36.3
    Absence
    36%
  • Twynham School Christchurch · Good.
    Eng & maths
    62%
    Attainment 8
    53.5
    Absence
    20%
  • Winton Academy Bournemouth · Outstanding. · no spare places
    Eng & maths
    73%
    Attainment 8
    55.4
    Absence
    10%

Pick up to 4 schools to see them side by side in the comparison tool, subject by subject.

Sixth form · Key stage 5·2024/25

A levels in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

15 of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole's 17 sixth forms publish A level results. Ranked on the share reaching AAB or better in at least two of the subjects universities name, which is the measure the steepest entry requirements are written in.

Sixth form Grade AAB+

A level results only. A sixth form running mostly BTECs and other applied courses will show a dash here and can still be the right one — those are graded on their own scale, where a distinction and an A grade carry the same points and mean different things.

Bordering Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Near a boundary, schools on both sides are usually in reach. Whether a child can apply is set by each school's admission criteria, not by the border.

Dorset 19 schools · 41% passed English & mathsHampshire 69 schools · 45% passed English & maths

What these mean

Attainment 8
The average pupil's total score across eight GCSE-equivalent subjects, with English and maths counting double. It is scored out of 90. A score of 50 is roughly equivalent to achieving a grade 5 across eight subjects.
Grades 4 and 5
GCSEs are graded from 9 down to 1. Grade 4 is a standard pass and broadly corresponds to the old grade C; grade 5 is what the government calls a strong pass. Grade 7 is broadly equivalent to an old grade A.
Persistent absence
The share of pupils who miss at least 10% of their possible sessions during the school year. This includes both authorised and unauthorised absence, so illness and other authorised reasons are included. Persistent absence has remained substantially higher than its pre-pandemic level.
First preference
The share of families who were offered the school they ranked first on their application, on national offer day in March. This figure is calculated across the relevant schools or admissions authority, so a high overall figure does not necessarily mean that every individual school is easy to get into.
Spare places
The amount of available capacity a school has compared with the number of pupils on roll. This is different from oversubscription: spare places measure whether a school has capacity, whereas oversubscription describes demand for places exceeding the number available. A school with no spare places may be popular, but a small school can also be full without receiving a large number of applications.
Average A-level grade
The average grade achieved across students' A-level entries. This is different from measures such as the proportion achieving AAB or better in two or more facilitating subjects, which are sometimes used to indicate higher attainment and university-entry performance.
Covers state-funded schools in England; independent schools are not included, and neither the list nor the subject figures above take account of them.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Key stage 4 performance and school characteristics: Department for Education, 2024/25. Inspection outcomes: Ofsted.