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Shaftesbury School

Mixed · ages 11–18 · with sixth form · Church of EnglandDorset, South West · Shaftesbury SP7 8ERTrust: Sherborne Area Schools' TrustSchool website
Pupils on roll
782of 1,283 places
Free school meals
25.9%
Year 11 cohort 2025
138
Ofsted
Good, 7 March 2023Read the Ofsted report

Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Shaftesbury School (URN 113889, until 1 June 2014).

What the data says

Of the 166 pupils who finished Year 11 at Shaftesbury School in 2023, 57% stayed on in Shaftesbury School’s own sixth form (Dorset average 43%), 28% went to a further education college and 5% started an apprenticeship.

Food Preparation and Nutrition is unusually popular at GCSE: 44% of the year group took it, against 8% of pupils across England.

GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 39.1 against 46.1 across England and 43.2 in Dorset, with 28% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).

A level grades average C-, well below the England average of B-; 2% of students achieved AAB or better including two facilitating subjects (England 18%). The largest A level subjects are Sociology, History and Psychology.

Where pupils went after Year 11

Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Dorset and England.

Shaftesbury School
Dorset
England
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
MeasureShaftesbury SchoolDorsetEngland
Pupils in the cohort1663,781607,348
Any sustained destination96%94%92%
Stayed in education89%85%86%
— school sixth form57%43%34%
— sixth form college1%13%
— further education college28%39%37%
— other education3%3%2%
Apprenticeship5%5%3%
Employment2%4%3%
No sustained destination2%5%6%
Destination unknown2%2%3%

Where students went after sixth form

Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.

Shaftesbury School
Dorset
England
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
MeasureShaftesbury SchoolDorsetEngland
Students in the cohort1012,810541,441
Any sustained destination79%80%79%
University (higher education)36%27%37%
— most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students19%19%19%
Further education3%5%5%
Apprenticeship7%7%7%
Employment34%40%28%
No sustained destination16%15%16%

GCSE results 2025

MeasureShaftesbury SchoolDorsetEngland
Attainment 8 (average points per pupil)39.143.246.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths28%41%45%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths53%62%65%
Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects32%38%41%
EBacc average point score3.473.794.09
Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort28%24%28%
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils30.231.134.9
Attainment 8 — other pupils42.446.950.4
Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2)
English as an additional language5%4%19%

Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.

Subjects taken at GCSE

Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEnglandGrades 7–9EnglandGrades 4–9
Mathematics13598%88%6%22%63%
English Language13598%89%11%20%61%
English Literature13497%86%10%21%53%
Combined Science8763%65%5%9%43%
Geography6749%41%9%25%55%
Food Preparation and Nutrition6144%8%0%21%34%
History5943%41%20%26%66%
Physical Education5036%11%2%24%50%
Chemistry4835%23%6%47%60%
Biology4835%23%6%45%67%
Physics4835%23%6%46%65%
Religious Studies2518%31%4%32%60%
Computer Science2417%13%17%30%46%
French2216%18%18%29%64%
Design and Technology2115%11%5%23%43%
Fine Art2115%9%29%28%67%
Film Studies1914%1%5%20%58%
Graphic Communication1813%1%6%23%78%
Textiles1813%2%6%27%72%
Spanish1813%19%33%27%83%
Music97%5%11%33%67%
Latin75%1%0%74%14%
Polish11%1%84%
German11%5%33%

A levels and other level 3 courses

MeasureShaftesbury SchoolDorsetEngland
Students at the end of 16–18 study145
— of whom A level students611,518261,341
Average A level gradeC-C+B-
Average points per A level entry25.9832.2035.00
Average grade, best 3 A levelsC-C+B-
AAB or better with two facilitating subjects2%11%18%
Average grade, applied general courses
Average grade, T levels

A level subjects

Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Sociology2236%13%
History1626%13%
Psychology1220%23%
Biology1118%20%
Business Studies1016%13%
Graphic Communication915%2%
English Literature813%11%
Chemistry813%17%
Classical Civilisation813%1%
Mathematics711%31%
Religious Studies610%4%
Computer Science5%
Drama2%
Economics13%
English Language4%
French1%
Geography10%
Further Mathematics5%
Media Studies4%
Physics12%
Spanish2%
Art and Design1%
Photography3%
Textiles1%

Applied, technical and other level 3 courses

SubjectQualificationEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Mathematical StudiesCore Maths Qualifications at Level 31525%
Applied SciencesBTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D*915%
Health StudiesBTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D*813%
TourismBTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D*813%
Sports StudiesBTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D)
Health StudiesBTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D)
MathematicsGCE AS level (Not continued to A2)
Nutrition / DietVRQ Level 3
Applied SciencesBTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D)
English LanguageGCE AS level (All)
MathematicsGCE AS level (All)
Sports StudiesBTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D*
English LanguageGCE AS level (Not continued to A2)
Study SkillsExtended Project (Diploma)
Computer Architecture / SystemsBTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D*
TourismBTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D)

Other secondary schools in Dorset

Beaminster School

Voluntary controlled school · sixth form · 673 pupils

81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.0

Ferndown Upper School

Community school · sixth form · 1,134 pupils

88% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.7

Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.