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The Thomas Hardye School

Secondary · Dorchester · DT1 2ET

Data updated

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Good

SchoolFacts estimate: Ofsted awarded no overall grade at this inspection

We show the lowest of the four areas Ofsted did judge, listed below. Why some schools have no overall grade →

Quality of education: GoodBehaviour & attitudes: GoodPersonal development: GoodLeadership & management: GoodSafeguarding effective: Yes

Inspected 4 February 2025

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

2,014 pupils · 94% of 2,138 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
13–18
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
19.1% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
6.1% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
18.3% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
2.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
www.ths.wessex.ac
URN
137163

In figures

At its inspection on 4 February 2025 Ofsted awarded no overall grade; the lowest of the four areas it judged was Good. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 9.4% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

GCSE results (2024/2025)

439 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
49.8
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
71.1%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
49.9%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
4.5
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

A-level results (2024/2025)

A-level points per entry (England: 35 ≈ B-) C+
34.8
England 35

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school49.8
Median of its 12 closest peers49.2
Dorset average42.9
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is in line with the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
Steyning Grammar SchoolSteyning · 94 miles awayExpected standard48.7
Durrington High SchoolWorthing · 90 miles awayGood49.8
Twynham SchoolChristchurch · 29 miles awayGood53.5
Dronfield Henry Fanshawe SchoolDronfield · 184 miles awayGood50
Leigh Academy Hundred of HooRochester · 139 miles awayGood43.2
King Alfred'sWantage · 75 miles awayNeeds attention45.4
Poole High SchoolPoole · 21 miles awayGood51
The Nobel SchoolStevenage · 129 miles awayGood50.2
Newquay TretherrasNewquay · 116 miles awayGood48.4
Chipping Campden SchoolChipping Campden · 98 miles awayGood47.3
The Blue SchoolWells · 36 miles awayGood49.7
Oriel High SchoolCrawley · 104 miles awayGood45.4

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Special educational needs

Needs this school records that it caters for, in the order it lists them.

Provision type: Resourced provision and SEN unit.

SEN unit
10 of 10 places taken full, or over capacity
Resourced provision
10 of 10 places taken full, or over capacity

Unit places come from the school census and describe the position when it was taken, not today. Confirm with the local authority before relying on them.

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 84% (Dorset 87%, England 59%) · Any other White background 3% (Dorset 4%, England 7%) · Asian Indian 2% (Dorset 1%, England 4%) · Mixed White and Asian 2% (Dorset 1%, England 2%) · Any other ethnic group 2% (Dorset 0%, England 3%) · Any other Mixed background 2% (Dorset 1%, England 3%) · Any other Asian background 1% (Dorset 1%, England 3%) · Not recorded 1% (Dorset 1%, England 2%) · other groups together 2%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
9.4%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
27.1%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

13.16 suspensions per 100 pupils and 5 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

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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

Pupils per qualified teacher
18.3
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

90% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 2% moved to another state school · 8% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, secondary academies: 0.45% vacant, 0.33% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

65.5% of teachers took sickness absence, 4.7 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 £53,648; 7% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£7,222
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 76% (77%) · premises 5% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 6% (6%) · supplies and services 12% (11%) · educational supplies 9% (6%) · bought-in professional services 0% (1%) · catering 4% (3%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £1,777,000; in-year balance +£1,016,000

Spending and reserves, last three years Premium

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
96%
Continuing in education
89%
Apprenticeship
4%
Employment
3%

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
43%
Apprenticeship
4%
Employment
35%
Any sustained destination
89%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
5/10around the middle for England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
8/10less deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher40.3%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications13.2%18.1%
In managerial or professional work38.6%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways11.8%18.1%
Residents in very good health46.1%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier78.4%62.3%
Social housing14.2%17.1%
Privately rented7.4%20.5%
Detached houses38.6%22.9%
Flats10.6%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms30.3%21.1%
Households with no car or van13%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01020526 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£319,500315 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£243,000–£408,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (70)£472,500
Semi-detached (68)£345,000
Terraced (98)£300,000
Flat (79)£181,000

Homes around this school are dearer than most 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
1an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
1an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
11an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
2an urban school averages 6.1

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