Shaftesbury SchoolSturminster Newton High School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
Shaftesbury School and Sturminster Newton High School are secondary schools.
Shaftesbury School scores 49 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and Sturminster Newton High School scores 52 out of 100 (grade D, below average). Sturminster Newton High School is ahead on our composite score.
Shaftesbury School was judged Good and Sturminster Newton High School was judged the expected standard.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 39.1 for Shaftesbury School and 46.1 for Sturminster Newton High School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Shaftesbury School (48.9 in 2021-22, 39.1 in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | ShaftesburyShaftesbury School | Sturminster NewtonSturminster Newton High School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D49/100 | D52/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 20th of 29 in Dorset | 16th of 29 in Dorset Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Expected | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 864 | 617 | |
| Capacity | 1,283 | 900 | |
| Location | Shaftesbury, SP7 8ER | Sturminster Newton, DT10 1DT | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 39.1 | 46.1 Stronger figure | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 27.5% | 49.0% Stronger figure | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 52.9% | 67.0% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 31.9% | 80.0% Stronger figure | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.47 | 4.34 Stronger figure | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 138 | 100 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 61 | 32 | |
| A-level average points | 26.0 | 28.5 Stronger figure | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | C- | C | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 25.8 | 30.2 Stronger figure | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 2.2% | 11.1% Stronger figure | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 864 | 617 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 27.9% | 29.6% | |
| English as an additional language | 6.5% | 6.8% | |
| SEN support | 17.1% | 22.0% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 3.4% | 3.7% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 11.4% | 10.9% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 32.2% | 29.2% Stronger figure | 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
A-level average points
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.
Shaftesbury School
Sturminster Newton High School
Full profiles: Shaftesbury School · Sturminster Newton High School