Cranborne Middle School
Middle deemed secondary · Wimborne · BH21 5RP
Data updated
Ungraded inspection: no current grade
Ofsted's most recent visit was an ungraded inspection; its outcome was “Some aspects not as strong”. Since September 2024 these outcomes no longer confirm a named grade. This school does hold an older grade, but that outcome says the school has weakened since, so showing the old grade here would flatter it. It is in the inspection history below, with its date.
Inspected 15 January 2025
Read the Ofsted report ↗At a glance
265 pupils · 104% of 256 capacity (over capacity) (January 2026 census)
- School type
- Community school
- Age range
- 9–13
- Gender
- Mixed
- Free school meals
- 18.5% of pupils (January 2026)
- English as additional language
- 0.3% of pupils (2024/2025)
- SEN support
- 4.9% of pupils (2024/2025)
- EHC plan
- 3.6% of pupils (2024/2025)
- URN
- 113853
In figures
In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 5.9% of sessions, against 6.6% across England. It had 265 pupils at the 15 January 2026 census.
Catchment area
Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. Places by distance, last offered at 4.266 miles for 2026 entry.
Admissions cutoff distance: Year 5
Last child offered a place under the distance criterion (2026 entry) lived within 4.266 miles
measurement method not stated by the council.
Would you have got in? Check your postcode
Premium adds unlimited checks, the nearby schools you would be inside, and the address check across every school at once.
Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →Would you have got in? Check your postcode Premium
Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work
Compare admissions across the area: Wimborne school admissions · Dorset school admissions
Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)
74 pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2024/2025
Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means
Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)
White British 97% (Dorset 87%, England 59%) · Any other Mixed background 2% (Dorset 1%, England 3%) · Any other White background 1% (Dorset 4%, England 7%) · other groups together 1%
Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures
Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)
Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)
4.58 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Dorset: 18.66 suspensions and 0.24 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils
Suspensions and exclusions, last three years Premium
Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.
Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions
Staffing
Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.
Teacher retention (2024/25)
77% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 23% left the state-funded sector
Vacancies (November 2025)
0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, council-maintained secondaries: 0.22% vacant, 0.42% temporary
Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)
82.4% of teachers took sickness absence, 8.8 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days
Teacher pay (November 2025)
Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £54,747; 21.4% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%
Vacancies, sickness and pay, last three years Premium
Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.
Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted
Spending per pupil (2025-26)
Where the money went (2025-26)
Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 74% (77%) · premises 6% (6%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 9% (7%) · supplies and services 11% (10%) · educational supplies 6% (6%) · bought-in professional services 3% (2%) · catering 3% (3%)
Reserves (2025-26)
Revenue reserve £134,984; in-year balance +£54,154
Spending and reserves, last three years Premium
Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.
Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: council-maintained school finance return, 2025-26, DfE · how spending is compared
Inspection history since 2015
- 14 January 2025: Some aspects not as strong
- 11 June 2019: Good
- 15 November 2016: Requires improvement
Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems
The area around the school
- Child poverty (IDACI)
- 7/10less deprived than most of England
- Overall deprivation (IMD)
- 4/10more deprived than most of England
| Census 2021 | This area | England |
|---|---|---|
| Adults with a degree or higher | 31.6% | 33.9% |
| Adults with no qualifications | 16.1% | 18.1% |
| In managerial or professional work | 34.1% | 33.2% |
| Households deprived in two or more ways | 14% | 18.1% |
| Residents in very good health | 46.6% | 48.5% |
| Homes owned by the occupier | 56.4% | 62.3% |
| Social housing | 12.9% | 17.1% |
| Privately rented | 30.7% | 20.5% |
| Detached houses | 47.7% | 22.9% |
| Flats | 4.8% | 22.2% |
| Homes with four or more bedrooms | 31.9% | 21.1% |
| Households with no car or van | 6.1% | 23.5% |
These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01020389 · how to read area figures
What homes cost nearby
- Median sale price
- £449,00012 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
- Typical range
- £370,000–£504,000the middle half of sales
- England median
- £300,000all sales over the same period
Homes around this school are dearer than three quarters of school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.
Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
Roads around the school
- Child pedestrian casualties
- 0a rural school averages 0.3
- Collisions at school-run times
- 0a rural school averages 0.7
- All reported collisions
- 2a rural school averages 3.4
- Of those, serious or fatal
- 0a rural school averages 0.9
A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted
Nearby schools
- Cranborne Church of England First School
- Wimborne St Giles Church of England First School and Nursery
- Trinity Church of England First School
- Hillside Community First School
- Emmanuel Church of England Middle School
- Verwood Church of England First School
- St James' Church of England First School and Nursery, Alderholt
- Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery