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The Sir John Colfox Academy

Secondary · Bridport · DT6 3DT

Data updated

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Good

Earlier grade, confirmed by a later ungraded inspection

Ofsted's most recent (ungraded) visit confirmed the school remains Good. Ungraded inspections do not award a new grade.

Inspected 13 September 2023

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

756 pupils · 74% of 1,024 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
11–18
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
22.7% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
4.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
20.6% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
6.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
http://www.colfox.org/
URN
141735

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 104 families named it first for 104 Year 7 places, 1.00 first choices per place. An ungraded Ofsted inspection on 13 September 2023 confirmed its earlier grade, Good. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 8.3% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

1.00 first-choice applications per place

104 places offered · 104 first-choice applications · roughly balanced

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

GCSE results (2024/2025)

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

Attainment 8 score
43
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
62%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
34.3%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
4
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-) D+
23.4
England 35

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

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school43
Median of its 12 closest peers45
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
Maidenhill SchoolStonehouse · 72 miles awayExpected standard45.5
Fareham AcademyFareham · 68 miles awayNeeds attention38.5
Witchford Village CollegeEly · 170 miles awayGood44.5
Pittville SchoolCheltenham · 86 miles awayGood (2019)47.5
Long Field Spencer AcademyMelton Mowbray · 160 miles awayGood46.1
South Dartmoor Community CollegeAshburton · 46 miles awayGood47.7
Cirencester Kingshill SchoolCirencester · 75 miles awayGood48.2
Anthony Gell SchoolMatlock · 169 miles awayGood45.8
Iveshead SchoolLoughborough · 153 miles awayGood43.7
The Reach Free SchoolRickmansworth · 115 miles awayGood (2019)44.2
Winterstoke Hundred AcademyWeston-Super-Mare · 42 miles awayGood40.1
Dowdales SchoolDalton-in-Furness · 236 miles awayGood (2019)41.8

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

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 88% (Dorset 87%, England 59%) · Not recorded 4% (Dorset 1%, England 2%) · Any other White background 3% (Dorset 4%, England 7%) · Any other Asian background 1% (Dorset 1%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Dorset 1%, England 2%) · Any other Mixed background 1% (Dorset 1%, England 3%) · 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)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
8.3%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
25.9%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

10.35 suspensions per 100 pupils and 1 permanent exclusion · 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
15.7
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

80% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 2% moved to another state school · 18% 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)

63.3% of teachers took sickness absence, 8.2 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 £52,146; 8.9% 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£9,808
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 64% (77%) · premises 26% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 1% (6%) · supplies and services 10% (11%) · educational supplies 8% (6%) · bought-in professional services 0% (1%) · catering 1% (3%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £0; in-year balance +£240,000

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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
93%
Continuing in education
83%
Apprenticeship
6%
Employment
5%

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
24%
Apprenticeship
5%
Employment
55%
Any sustained destination
85%

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)
6/10around the middle for England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
6/10around the middle for England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher30%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications16.8%18.1%
In managerial or professional work33.6%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways15.1%18.1%
Residents in very good health39.9%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier77.5%62.3%
Social housing10.4%17.1%
Privately rented12.1%20.5%
Detached houses49.4%22.9%
Flats8.9%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms20.7%21.1%
Households with no car or van10.7%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01020498 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£350,000110 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£285,000–£464,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (42)£455,000
Semi-detached (29)£345,000
Terraced (33)£285,000
Flat (6)£173,000

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
0an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
0an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
3an 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