Sturminster Newton High School

Academy converter·Secondary school Sturminster Newton, Dorset·DT10 1DT
Composite score
57.6
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#1,507
National rank
#140
In South West
#7
In Dorset
Top 48%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
46.1
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
—
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
49%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
67%
% EBacc grade 5+
22%
EBacc average points score
4.34

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
100%
89 first choices, 93 places
First choices per place
0.96
fewer first choices than places
Applications naming the school
157
any preference, for 93 places
Applications from another council area
7%
First preferences per place, last five years▼ 0.02
00.511.5
1 per place
n/a2022n/a20230.9720240.9820250.962026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

Every child who put Sturminster Newton High School first was offered a place in 2026, so no distance cut-off applied: living further away did not cost a place that year.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
11–18
Pupils on roll
617
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Admissions
Non-Selective

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
29.6%
Typical secondary: 27.5%
% EAL
6.8%
Typical secondary: 12.0%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
22.0%
Typical secondary: 13.7%
% with an EHC plan
3.7%
Typical secondary: 2.9%

Attendance

Overall absence
11.5%
Typical secondary: 8.9%
Persistently absent
33.2%
Typical secondary: 25.7%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
16.7
Typical secondary: 16.7

“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means

What pupils do next

The share of this school's Year 11 leavers in education, training or employment for at least two terms afterwards.

In education, training or work
91%
111 pupils tracked
Stayed in education
77%
Apprenticeship
7%
Employment
6%

DfE, KS4 destination measures.

Nearby secondary schools

Location

About Sturminster Newton High School

Sturminster Newton High School is a secondary school in Sturminster Newton, Dorset, classified by the DfE as a converter academy. Around 617 pupils aged 11 to 18 attend the school. The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 46.1 — broadly in line with the national average (national average: 46). Its Attainment 8 score has risen by 3.9 points year on year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it around the middle of secondary schools nationally.

49% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, above the national average of about 45%. 67% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Getting a place is straightforward: for the September 2026 intake every family who made Sturminster Newton High School their first choice was offered one of its 93 Year 7 places. After Year 11, 91% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 11.5%. There are about 16.7 pupils per teacher. Sturminster Newton High School does not currently have a recent graded Ofsted judgement on record (often the case for newer or recently converted schools), so it is worth asking when its next inspection is expected. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.

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