School profile
The Swanage School
High Street, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 2PH
Overview
The Swanage School is a state-funded school (free schools) in Swanage, South West, for pupils aged 11–16. This summary is generated only from official structured fields.
School details
- Official establishment type
- Free schools
- Establishment group
- Free Schools
- Phase of education
- Secondary
- Age range
- Ages 11–16
- Gender of entry
- Mixed
- Sixth form
- No
- School capacity
- 360
- Pupils on roll
- 349
- URN
- 139376
Admissions
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Academy trust or group
- EDUCATION SWANAGE LIMITED
Contact the school or your local authority for catchment and application deadlines.
School places
DfE school capacity survey · May 2025 (2024/25)
- Capacity at survey date
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 339
- Unfilled places at survey date
- 81
A dated snapshot from the Department for Education school capacity survey, separate from the school details above. Unfilled places at the survey date do not mean places are currently available for admission. About this data
Official admissions data
Applications & demand
Preferences expressed by families through coordinated admissions, shown over time.
2026/27 admissions · Year 7
- First preferences
- 61
- Total preferences
- 132
- Offers made
- 62
Times the school was named as a family's first preference.
All recorded preference positions for this school.
Offers recorded through coordinated admissions, not physical capacity.
First preferences compared with offers
0.98 first preferences per offer
61 first preferences and 62 offers were recorded for 2026/27.
What does this mean?
This is the Department for Education's own published comparison of first preferences with total offers recorded. It indicates the level of requests made through coordinated admissions. Offers are not necessarily the school's maximum capacity, admissions arrangements vary between local authorities, the figure is not a measure of school quality, and it should not be used on its own to judge the likelihood of gaining a place.
First preferences over time
Latest five available admissions years. Missing years are not estimated.
Admissions history
| Admissions year | First preferences | Total preferences | Offers made |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 | 61 | 132 | 62 |
| 2025/26 | 83 | 133 | 84 |
| 2024/25 | 49 | 102 | 50 |
| 2023/24 | 59 | 116 | 61 |
| 2022/23 | 58 | 117 | 60 |
Source: Department for Education · Applications and offers data.
Official performance data
School performance
Official Department for Education results for this school. Results are shown for the academic year they relate to.
Secondary
2024/25 results
Attainment 8 score
- School
- 36.9
- England
- 47.1
Pupils included: 69
Grade 5 or above in English & maths
- School
- 20.3%
- England
- 46.5%
Pupils included: 69
Grade 4 or above in English & maths
- School
- 37.7%
- England
- 66.4%
Pupils included: 69
Entering the EBacc
- School
- 7.2%
- England
- 41.5%
Pupils included: 69
Progress 8 was not published for 2024/25.
Source: Department for Education · School performance data.
Official inspection data
Ofsted inspections
Inspection information published by Ofsted, shown in Ofsted's own words.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 7 November 2023 · Published 13 December 2023
Original education inspection framework (September 2019 to August 2024)
Overall effectiveness
Good
This is a historical Ofsted judgement given under the previous inspection framework. It is not a School Nest rating.
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Effectiveness of leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding was effective
- Yes
Ofsted changed how it inspects and reports on schools in November 2025. Judgements from the previous and current frameworks use different systems and should not be directly compared.
School Nest shows the inspection information Ofsted currently publishes for this school. It is not a complete record of every inspection the school has ever had.
Source: Ofsted · Inspections and outcomes. Official Ofsted page for this school
Location
- Address
- High Street, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 2PH
- Local authority
- Dorset
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