The Cornerstone AcademyThe Swanage School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
The Cornerstone Academy and The Swanage School are secondary schools.
The Cornerstone Academy scores 55 out of 100 (grade C, average) and The Swanage School scores 51 out of 100 (grade D, below average). The Cornerstone Academy is ahead on our composite score.
The Cornerstone Academy was judged Good and The Swanage School was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 46.7 for The Cornerstone Academy and 43.1 for The Swanage School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at The Cornerstone Academy (46.5 in 2021-22, 46.7 in 2025-26) and has fallen at The Swanage School (48.2 in 2021-22, 43.1 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | PooleThe Cornerstone Academy | SwanageThe Swanage School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C55/100Stronger figure | D51/100 | |
| Local ranking | 16th of 24 in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 16th of 28 in Dorset | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Academy sponsor led | Free schools | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 645 | 349 | |
| Capacity | 900 | 360 | |
| Location | Poole, BH15 4BQ | Swanage, BH19 2PH | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 46.7 Stronger figure | 43.1 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 56.8% Stronger figure | 33.9% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 74.4% Stronger figure | 50.8% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 125 | 59 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 682 | 339 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 40.8% | 33.0% | |
| English as an additional language | 18.0% | 10.3% | |
| SEN support | 17.0% | 22.1% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 4.3% | 7.4% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 12.2% | 11.9% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 34.7% | 30.3% 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
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.
The Cornerstone Academy
The Swanage School
Full profiles: The Cornerstone Academy · The Swanage School