The Swanage SchoolThe Purbeck School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
The Swanage School and The Purbeck School are secondary schools.
The Swanage School scores 51 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and The Purbeck School scores 65 out of 100 (grade C, average). The Purbeck School is ahead on our composite score.
The Swanage School was judged Good and The Purbeck School was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 43.1 for The Swanage School and 49.0 for The Purbeck School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at The Swanage School (48.2 in 2021-22, 43.1 in 2025-26) and has risen at The Purbeck School (44.2 in 2022-23, 49.0 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | SwanageThe Swanage School | WarehamThe Purbeck School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D51/100 | C65/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 16th of 28 in Dorset | 2nd of 28 in Dorset Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Free schools | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 349 | 1,022 | |
| Capacity | 360 | 1,180 | |
| Location | Swanage, BH19 2PH | Wareham, BH20 4PF | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 43.1 | 49.0 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 33.9% | 48.5% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 50.8% | 72.7% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 59 | 165 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | Not reported | 67 | |
| A-level average points | Not reported | 30.9 | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | Not reported | C | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | Not reported | 33.3 | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | Not reported | 11.6% | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 339 | 1,028 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 33.0% | 22.5% | |
| English as an additional language | 10.3% | 4.8% | |
| SEN support | 22.1% | 12.1% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 7.4% | 4.1% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 11.9% | 7.5% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 30.3% | 21.7% 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 Swanage School
The Purbeck School
Full profiles: The Swanage School · The Purbeck School