Harbour Vale School
Special / other · Sherborne · DT9 4DN
Data updated
Graded inspection under the pre-November 2025 system
This is an overall-effectiveness grade from the previous inspection framework. The school has not yet had a report-card inspection.
Inspected 30 April 2024
Read the Ofsted report ↗At a glance
23 pupils · 61% of 38 capacity (January 2026 census)
- School type
- Academy alternative provision sponsor led
- Age range
- 5–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Free school meals
- 69.6% of pupils (January 2026)
- English as additional language
- 0% of pupils (2024/2025)
- SEN support
- 44.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
- EHC plan
- 5.6% of pupils (2024/2025)
- URN
- 146958
In figures
Ofsted last graded it Good on 30 April 2024, under the framework used before November 2025. It had 23 pupils at the 15 January 2026 census.
Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)
White British 83% (Dorset 94%, England 73%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 9% (Dorset 1%, England 4%) · Not recorded 4% (Dorset 1%, England 3%) · Any other White background 4% (Dorset 1%, England 3%)
Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures
Staffing
Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.
Teacher retention (2024/25)
75% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 25% left the state-funded sector
Vacancies (November 2025)
0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, special schools and PRUs: 0.68% vacant, 1.02% temporary
Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)
62.5% of teachers took sickness absence, 11.8 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 £50,640; 16.7% on the leadership pay range · England, special schools and PRUs: £53,604, 18.3%
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
Inspection history since 2015
- 30 April 2024: Good
Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems
The area around the school
- Child poverty (IDACI)
- 3/10more 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 | 22.2% | 33.9% |
| Adults with no qualifications | 22.9% | 18.1% |
| In managerial or professional work | 23.3% | 33.2% |
| Households deprived in two or more ways | 21.7% | 18.1% |
| Residents in very good health | 41.1% | 48.5% |
| Homes owned by the occupier | 55% | 62.3% |
| Social housing | 29.4% | 17.1% |
| Privately rented | 15.6% | 20.5% |
| Detached houses | 6.3% | 22.9% |
| Flats | 14% | 22.2% |
| Homes with four or more bedrooms | 6% | 21.1% |
| Households with no car or van | 21.4% | 23.5% |
These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01020543 · how to read area figures
What homes cost nearby
- Median sale price
- £310,000344 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
- Typical range
- £228,000–£443,500the middle half of sales
- England median
- £300,000all sales over the same period
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