Best Secondary Schools in Dorset
18 secondary schools found
Key Facts
- There are 18 secondary schools in Dorset, accounting for 5.6% of the total in the region, with 19,435 pupils across these institutions.
- Dorset's secondary schools have an Ofsted rating of 81.3% Good or Outstanding, with 1 Outstanding and 12 Good ratings out of 16 inspected schools.
- The pupil-teacher ratio in Dorset's secondary schools is 17.28, with 23.1% of pupils eligible for free school meals and £8,035 spent per pupil.
- In terms of academic performance, Dorset's secondary schools have a Progress 8 score of -0.06, 43.6% of pupils achieving grade 5+ in English & maths, and a persistent absence rate of 29.5%.
The Woodroffe School
Ofsted
Good
Lyme Regis, DT7 3LX
State · Secondary · Ages 11–18
Progress 8+0.19
Attainment 851.0
Eng+Maths76%
Pupils978
Wey Valley Academy
Ofsted
Good
Weymouth, DT3 5AN
Academy · Secondary · Ages 11–16
Progress 8-0.36
Attainment 842.1
Eng+Maths64%
Pupils996
BS
Beaminster School
Ofsted
Good
Beaminster, DT8 3EP
State · Secondary · Ages 11–18
Progress 8-0.08
Attainment 843.3
Eng+Maths62%
Pupils679
Gillingham School
Ofsted
Good
Gillingham, SP8 4QP
State · Secondary · Ages 11–18
Progress 8-0.18
Attainment 845.7
Eng+Maths66%
Pupils1,670
The Swanage School
Ofsted
Good
Swanage, BH19 2PH
Secondary · Ages 11–16
Progress 8-0.28
Attainment 839.5
Eng+Maths49%
Pupils339
The Blandford School
Ofsted
Good
Blandford Forum, DT11 7SQ
State · Secondary · Ages 11–18
Progress 8-0.33
Attainment 846.6
Eng+Maths68%
Pupils1,135
The Purbeck School
Wareham, BH20 4PF
Academy · Secondary · Ages 11–18
Progress 8+0.60
Attainment 849.9
Eng+Maths72%
Pupils1,028
Dorset Studio School
Ofsted
Good
Dorchester, DT2 8PX
Studio School · Secondary · Ages 11–16
Progress 8-0.50
Attainment 829.1
Eng+Maths22%
Pupils325
SS
Shaftesbury School
Ofsted
Good
Shaftesbury, SP7 8ER
Academy · Secondary · Ages 11–18
Progress 8-0.50
Attainment 842.1
Eng+Maths55%
Pupils864
Ferndown Upper School
Ofsted
Good
Ferndown, BH22 9EY
State · Secondary · Ages 13–19
Progress 8+0.34
Attainment 848.3
Eng+Maths74%
Pupils1,169
The Sir John Colfox Academy
Ofsted
Good
Bridport, DT6 3DT
Academy · Secondary · Ages 11–18
Progress 8+0.01
Attainment 843.7
Eng+Maths62%
Pupils792
All Saints' Church of England Academy
Ofsted
Req. Impr.
Weymouth, DT4 9BJ
Academy · Secondary · Ages 11–16
Progress 8-0.33
Attainment 840.5
Eng+Maths57%
Pupils696
Queen Elizabeth's School
Ofsted
Req. Impr.
Wimborne, BH21 4DT
Academy · Secondary · Ages 13–18
Progress 8-0.17
Attainment 845.2
Eng+Maths66%
Pupils1,452
The Thomas Hardye School
Ofsted
Outstanding
Dorchester, DT1 2ET
Academy · Secondary · Ages 13–18
Progress 8+0.30
Attainment 848.9
Eng+Maths70%
Pupils2,051
LM
Lytchett Minster School
Ofsted
Good
Poole, BH16 6JD
State · Secondary · Ages 11–19
Progress 8+0.38
Attainment 848.4
Eng+Maths75%
Pupils1,590
BA
Budmouth Academy Weymouth
Ofsted
Req. Impr.
Weymouth, DT4 9SY
Academy · Secondary · Ages 11–18
Progress 8-0.62
Attainment 839.9
Eng+Maths51%
Pupils1,499
Frequently Asked Questions
There are 29 secondary schools in Dorset, including state-funded, academies, and independent schools.
Area Benchmarks
| Metric | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|
| School QualityGood or Outstanding (Ofsted) | 81% | 90% |
| Secondary ResultsProgress 8 | -0.06 | +0.00 |
| Attainment 8 | 45.5 | 46.1 |
| AttendancePersistent Absence | 29% | 20% |
| ResourcesPupil-Teacher Ratio | 17.3:1 | 18.1:1 |
| Spending per Pupil | £8,035 | £7,460 |
About This Data
- •School information is sourced from Get Information About Schools (GIAS), the official UK government register maintained by the Department for Education.
- •Inspection ratings are from Ofsted (state schools) and ISI (independent schools).
- •Performance data includes Key Stage 2, GCSE, and A-Level results from the Department for Education.