Highcliffe SchoolPriestlands School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
Highcliffe School and Priestlands School are secondary schools.
Highcliffe School scores 60 out of 100 (grade C, average) and Priestlands School scores 61 out of 100 (grade C, average). Priestlands School is ahead on our composite score.
Highcliffe School was judged Good and Priestlands School was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 48.1 for Highcliffe School and 51.3 for Priestlands School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Highcliffe School (51.0 in 2021-22, 48.1 in 2025-26) and has fallen at Priestlands School (54.3 in 2021-22, 51.3 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | ChristchurchHighcliffe School | LymingtonPriestlands School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C60/100 | C61/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 11th of 24 in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 22nd of 69 in Hampshire | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-19 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,519 | 1,205 | |
| Capacity | 1,461 | 1,215 | |
| Location | Christchurch, BH23 4QD | Lymington, SO41 8FZ | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 48.1 | 51.3 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 50.0% | 56.7% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 73.4% | 73.5% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 244 | 238 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 107 | Not reported | |
| A-level average points | 34.6 | Not reported | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | C+ | Not reported | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 36.5 | Not reported | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 12.2% | Not reported | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,565 | 1,236 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 14.9% | 20.3% | |
| English as an additional language | 3.1% | 6.1% | |
| SEN support | 9.7% | 16.1% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 3.1% | 3.9% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 7.0% Stronger figure | 8.4% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 18.2% Stronger figure | 21.2% | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Highcliffe School
Priestlands School
Full profiles: Highcliffe School · Priestlands School