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Sturminster Newton High School

Secondary · Sturminster Newton · DT10 1DT

Data updated

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Expected standard

Report-card inspection (current system, from November 2025)

The headline grade shown is the Achievement area of the school's report card.

Safeguarding: MetCurriculum & teaching: Expected standardAchievement: Expected standardAttendance & behaviour: Expected standardPersonal development: Expected standardInclusion: Expected standardLeadership & governance: Expected standardEarly years: Not applicablePost-16: Expected standard

Inspected 21 April 2026 · report published 8 June 2026

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

605 pupils · 67% of 900 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
11–18
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
30% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
6.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
22% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
3.7% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
www.mysnhs.net
URN
149657

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 89 families named it first for 93 Year 7 places, 0.96 first choices per place. At its report-card inspection on 21 April 2026, under the system Ofsted introduced in November 2025, the Achievement area was judged Expected standard. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 9.9% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

0.96 first-choice applications per place

93 places offered · 89 first-choice applications · roughly balanced

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

24/25
25/26
26/27

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

GCSE results (2024/2025)

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

Attainment 8 score
46.1
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
67%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
49%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
4.3
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
28.5
England 35

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

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school46.1
Median of its 12 closest peers39.8
Dorset average42.9
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is ahead of 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
Wolsingham SchoolBishop Auckland · 263 miles awayGood44.7
North Walsham High SchoolNorth Walsham · 204 miles awayGood45.8
Iceni Secondary AcademyThetford · 165 miles awayRequires improvement39
The Rudheath Senior AcademyNorthwich · 161 miles awayGood35.7
Bedale High SchoolBedale · 233 miles awayStrong standard46.1
Sir William Romney's SchoolTetbury · 50 miles awayGood (2016)44.1
North Kesteven AcademyLincoln · 172 miles awayNeeds attention37.9
The Queen Elizabeth AcademyAtherstone · 118 miles awayExpected standard43.9
Theale Green SchoolReading · 63 miles awayNeeds attention38.5
The Academy, SelseyChichester · 67 miles awayGood38
WhitstoneShepton Mallet · 20 miles awayNeeds attention40.5
Pakefield High SchoolLowestoft · 202 miles awayGood38.4

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

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 87% (Dorset 87%, England 59%) · Any other White background 6% (Dorset 4%, England 7%) · Any other Mixed background 2% (Dorset 1%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Asian 2% (Dorset 1%, England 2%) · Any other Asian background 1% (Dorset 1%, England 3%) · Asian Indian 1% (Dorset 1%, England 4%) · other groups together 3%

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)
9.9%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
24%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

7.13 suspensions per 100 pupils and 2 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
17.3
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

89% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 3% 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)

66.7% 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 £53,669; 20.5% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

Vacancies, sickness and pay, last three years Premium

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

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
91%
Continuing in education
77%
Apprenticeship
7%
Employment
6%

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
34%
Apprenticeship
13%
Employment
30%
Any sustained destination
81%

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)
7/10less deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
8/10less deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher31.8%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications15.5%18.1%
In managerial or professional work33.4%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways9.3%18.1%
Residents in very good health47.5%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier78.9%62.3%
Social housing2.3%17.1%
Privately rented18.8%20.5%
Detached houses50.2%22.9%
Flats2.4%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms34.1%21.1%
Households with no car or van7.3%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01020458 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£279,000166 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£241,000–£349,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (56)£375,000
Semi-detached (40)£275,000
Terraced (52)£250,000
Flat (18)£126,500

Homes around this school are cheaper 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
0a rural school averages 0.3
Collisions at school-run times
1a rural school averages 0.7
All reported collisions
3a rural school averages 3.4
Of those, serious or fatal
1a 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