The Swanage School
Secondary · Free schools · Mixed · Dorset
High Street, Swanage, BH19 2PH
56
headline score
Ranking (England)
—
No ranked results
Ofsted
Good
Graded 07/11/2023
Application demand
100%
1st preference success · Not oversubscribed
Attendance
88.1%
30.3% persistently absent
At a glance
Pupils on roll
349
Capacity used
Nearly full97%
360 places
GCSE rank (England)
—
KS2 rank (England)
—
Application demand
Secondary entry · official council applications and offers
100%
1st preference success rate
83 of 83 families who put it first got an offer
84
Places offered
133
Total applications
1.6
Applications per place
| Preference (Sept 2025 entry) | Applications | Offers | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st preference | 83 | 83 | ● 100% |
| 2nd preference | 37 | 0 | ● 0% |
| 3rd preference | 13 | 1 | ● 8% |
| Total | 133 | 84 | 63% |
1st preference success by year
Dorset lets families list 3 preferences. Source: Department for Education, school-level applications and offers. Offers are made on each school's admissions criteria (e.g. siblings, distance, faith), so check the school's policy.
Details
- Type
- Free schools
- Phase
- Secondary
- Age range
- 11–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Headteacher
- Jennifer Maraspin
- Address
- High Street, Swanage, BH19 2PH
- Phone
- 01929500599
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Ward / constituency
- Swanage · South Dorset
- Area
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- URN
- 139376
Pupils
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free school meals | 32% | — | — |
| English as additional language | 6% | — | — |
| SEN support | 23% | — | — |
Local deprivation (IDACI quintile 2 of 5)
1 = least deprived area, 5 = most deprived. Context only.
Academy trust: EDUCATION SWANAGE LIMITED
349 pupils · 360 places. Intake figures describe the school's community — they aren't good or bad.
Ofsted inspections
- 23
07 November 2023
Full graded inspection
Good overall effectivenessPersonal development Outstanding Quality of education Good Safeguarding effective Yes Behaviour and attitudes Good Leadership and management Good
Attendance
2024/2025 school year · 350 pupils
Attendance
88.1%
Share of sessions attended · England 91.1%
Overall absence
11.9%
Sessions missed, any reason · England 8.9%
Persistent absence
30.3%
Pupils missing 10%+ of school · England 26.7%
Severe absence
8.9%
Pupils missing 50%+ of school · England 2.3%
Unauthorised absence
4.6%
Absences the school didn't approve
Persistent absence by year
Source: Department for Education, pupil absence by school (pupils aged 5–15). Lower absence is better. England figures are approximate 2023/24 averages.
GCSE results
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 39.5 | — | — |
| Progress 8 score | -0.28 | — | 0.00 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 27% | — | — |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 49% | — | — |
| EBacc average point score | 3.35 | — | — |
Progress 8 band
GCSE results over time
Attainment 8 by year (2020 and 2021 exams were cancelled)
| Result | School | England (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 | 36.9 | 46 |
| Grade 5+ English & maths | 20.3% | 46% |
| Grade 4+ English & maths | 37.7% | 65% |
| Entering EBacc | 7.2% | 40% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.07 | 4.1 |
| Pupils in cohort | 69 | — |
How different pupils progress (GCSE, 2023/2024)
Progress 8 by group. 0 is the national average; above 0 means pupils do better than similar children elsewhere.
Results by subject
Official DfE exam results for summer 2025. Green, amber and red compare against typical results in England; subjects with fewer than 5 entries aren't rated.
GCSE
Grade 4 is a standard pass, 5 a strong pass, 7 equals the old A.
| Subject | Entries | Grade 7+ | Grade 5+ | Grade 4+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 67 | 10% | 34% | 52% | |
| English Language | 67 | 7% | 33% | 46% | |
| English Literature | 67 | 12% | 36% | 54% | |
| Combined Science | 54 | 2% | 17% | 44% | |
| History | 27 | 7% | 37% | 52% | |
| Design & Technology | 27 | 15% | 37% | 52% | |
| Geography | 25 | 12% | 16% | 44% | |
| Physical Education | 21 | 0% | 10% | 14% | |
| Computer Science | 20 | 10% | 20% | 20% | |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 20 | 0% | 10% | 20% | |
| Religious Studies | 18 | 22% | 56% | 67% | |
| Drama | 13 | 23% | 69% | 85% |
House prices near the school
Typical sold prices (Land Registry) within 1 km, last 12 months.
Loading prices…
Key application dates
National deadlines in England. Apply through Dorset council, not the school.
| Entry | Deadline | Offer day |
|---|---|---|
| Year 7 (secondary) | 31 October | 1 March (or next working day) |
Admissions policy: Non-selective. Check the school's own admissions rules on its website.
Source: Get Information About Schools and the DfE school and college performance tables (2023-2024); Oxbridge figures from the University of Cambridge's admissions by UCAS apply centre (Oxford doesn't publish per-school figures). Read the method.