A town in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
In short: Most primary schools here are rated Good or better, about the same as across England. Results at 11 are close to England, and results at 16 were above England in 2026. Fewer pupils miss a lot of school than across England.
Poole at a glance
How Poole's schools compare with England, area by area.
Primary and secondary schools are ranked by Eduscope score, which weighs up results, inspections, attendance and more. Nurseries, special and independent schools aren't ranked. A high score isn't everything: always visit.
25 mainstream schools in Poole, best first
Results close to the England average.
66 first choices, 70 offers made
Met the standard at 1164%
England 62%
Poole, BH14 8UL · Academy · Primary · Ages 7 to 11
Results well above the England average.
Met the standard at 1173%
England 62%
Results above the England average.
62 first choices, 63 offers made
Met the standard at 1166%
England 62%
8 mainstream schools in Poole, best first
Results well above the England average.
243 first choices, 177 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1670.2
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
213 first choices, 192 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1667.6
England 46.2
Results close to the England average.
311 first choices, 316 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1648.1
England 46.2
39 in Poole, highest Ofsted grade first
Poole, BH13 7BP · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Poole, BH13 6AR · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Poole, BH14 0JU · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
10 in Poole, by the school's Eduscope score
Results well above the England average.
243 first choices, 177 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1670.2
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
213 first choices, 192 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1667.6
England 46.2
Results close to the England average.
311 first choices, 316 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1648.1
England 46.2
6 in Poole. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Poole, BH12 5BN · Special · All-through · Ages 2 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Poole, BH17 8PJ · Academy · All-through · Ages 5 to 16
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Poole, BH17 9NG · Academy · All-through · Ages 2 to 18
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
2 in Poole. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Poole, BH12 5AD · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Poole, BH14 9JY · Independent · Primary · Ages 2 to 11
Independent school. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Each dot is a school or nursery, coloured by its latest Ofsted grade. Point at a dot to see its name, or use the list.
Your home council handles your application, wherever the school is. Living nearby doesn't guarantee a place: each school's admission rules decide.
Pick a stage to see every Poole school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
All 29 inspected are Good or better.
39nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
100% Good or better. 61% met the standard at 11.
33schools
Ages 11 to 16
All 6 inspected are Good or better. 59% got grade 5 in English and maths.
15schools
All 5 inspected are Good or better. About 5 pupils per teacher.
6schools
Here's how Poole's schools break down by type, faith and more.
Some areas, like parts of a bigger town, are easiest to find by postcode.
Inspections, exam results and attendance, next to the figure for England where we have it.
Worked out by Eduscope from each school's published figures. Not an official statistic for this town.
PooleEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 16 primaries with one.
100%
England 96%
Close to England
Secondaries rated Good or Outstanding
6 of the 6 with a grade.
100%
England 93%
Met the expected standard at 11
Reading, writing and maths.
61%
England 62%
Close to England
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
59%
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.
17%
England 18%
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
22%
Latest graded inspection for the 26 schools that have one.
100%
Good or Outstanding
Poole in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
Poole has 80 schools and nurseries.
There are 2% more pupils than in 2018, but numbers have fallen since 2025.
22% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Poole's state schools each January.
Up 2% since 2018. More children can mean popular schools fill up faster.
Out of every 10 primary pupils, how many get free school meals. It's a sign of family income, not of school quality.
Poole22%
Apply through your local council, even for academies and faith schools.
Follow any school and we'll email you when it gets a new Ofsted report or new results are out. Nothing else.
Poole has 80 schools, including 33 primary schools, 15 secondary schools, 39 nurseries, 2 independent schools, 6 special schools. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Poole on Eduscope are Poole Grammar School, Parkstone Grammar School, Talbot Primary School. We rank each state school against schools of the same phase across England on its Ofsted inspection, results and attendance. Independent, special and nursery schools aren't ranked.
100% of inspected schools in Poole hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is above the England average of 94.8%. This includes 1 school rated Outstanding and 25 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Poole, 61% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths at Key Stage 2. This is based on the latest published results from the Department for Education.
The average pupil-teacher ratio across schools in Poole is 17.0:1. While not a direct measure of class size, this indicates the level of teaching resource available per pupil. Across England it is 17.9:1.
The persistent absence rate across schools in Poole is 16.7%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 18,483 pupils enrolled across schools in Poole, with 9,281 in primary and 9,202 in secondary. 19.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 2 independent schools in Poole. Fees vary by school and age group, with day school fees typically ranging from £10,000 to £20,000 per year. You can compare all private schools in Poole on Eduscope, including ISI inspection ratings where available.
Start by considering your child's age, your location, and whether you prefer a state or independent school. Use Eduscope to compare 80 schools in Poole by Ofsted ratings, exam results, and distance. Filter by school type, gender, religious character, and admissions policy to narrow your options.
Sources: DfE school performance tables, DfE school census and workforce, DfE pupil absence, Ofsted. Photos are stand-ins.
