All Saints' Church of England Academy
Academy sponsor led · 598 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 35.6
Academy converter
The Purbeck School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,022of 1,180 places
- Free school meals
- 22.7%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 164
- Ofsted
- Improved significantly, 30 April 2025Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: The Purbeck School (URN 113855, until 1 May 2022).
What the data says
Of the 169 pupils who finished Year 11 at The Purbeck School in 2023, 44% stayed on in The Purbeck School’s own sixth form (Dorset average 43%), 37% went to a further education college and 6% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 78 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 29% went to university (Dorset 27%, England 37%), and 28% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Media Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 20% of the year group took it, against 4% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 41.9 against 46.1 across England and 43.2 in Dorset, with 37% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
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.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | The Purbeck School | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 169 | 3,781 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 92% | 94% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 81% | 85% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 44% | 43% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 37% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 5% | 3% |
| Employment | 5% | 4% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 7% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 2% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | The Purbeck School | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 78 | 2,810 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 83% | 80% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 29% | 27% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 28% | 19% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 5% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 7% | 7% |
| Employment | 46% | 40% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 9% | 15% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | The Purbeck School | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 41.9 | 43.2 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 37% | 41% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 57% | 62% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 20% | 38% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.54 | 3.79 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 27% | 24% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 29.9 | 31.1 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 46.2 | 46.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 4% | 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.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 162 | 99% | 89% | 9% | 20% | 62% |
| Mathematics | 161 | 98% | 88% | 14% | 22% | 63% |
| English Literature | 159 | 97% | 86% | 9% | 21% | 61% |
| Combined Science | 107 | 65% | 65% | 1% | 9% | 33% |
| Geography | 106 | 65% | 41% | 6% | 25% | 51% |
| History | 64 | 39% | 41% | 14% | 26% | 50% |
| Biology | 55 | 34% | 23% | 25% | 45% | 93% |
| Chemistry | 55 | 34% | 23% | 25% | 47% | 95% |
| Physics | 55 | 34% | 23% | 13% | 46% | 80% |
| Business Studies | 43 | 26% | 18% | 12% | 20% | 65% |
| Photography | 37 | 23% | 6% | 14% | 19% | 62% |
| Media Studies | 33 | 20% | 4% | 24% | 20% | 61% |
| Fine Art | 29 | 18% | 9% | 3% | 28% | 62% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 25 | 15% | 8% | 8% | 21% | 56% |
| Religious Studies | 21 | 13% | 31% | 10% | 32% | 52% |
| Drama | 19 | 12% | 7% | 16% | 27% | 89% |
| Geology | 18 | 11% | 0% | 6% | 61% | 56% |
| Spanish | 18 | 11% | 19% | 22% | 27% | 83% |
| Design and Technology | 16 | 10% | 11% | 0% | 23% | 44% |
| French | 14 | 9% | 18% | 21% | 29% | 79% |
| Computer Science | 11 | 7% | 13% | 45% | 30% | 100% |
| Music | 9 | 5% | 5% | 11% | 33% | 56% |
| Polish | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Italian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Art and Design | 1 | 1% | 7% | — | 24% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 61 | 91% | — |
| Health Studies | 15 | 22% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | The Purbeck School | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 172 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 67 | 1,518 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 30.95 | 32.20 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 12% | 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.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 23 | 34% | 31% |
| English Literature | 18 | 27% | 11% |
| Chemistry | 18 | 27% | 17% |
| Physics | 15 | 22% | 12% |
| Sociology | 14 | 21% | 13% |
| Geography | 13 | 19% | 10% |
| History | 11 | 16% | 13% |
| English Language | 10 | 15% | 4% |
| Biology | 10 | 15% | 20% |
| Product Design | 10 | 15% | 2% |
| Psychology | 9 | 13% | 23% |
| Media Studies | 8 | 12% | 4% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Sciences | VRQ Level 3 | 15 | 22% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 9 | 13% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 8 | 12% | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 8 | 12% | — |
| Tourism | VRQ Level 3 | 7 | 10% | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 7 | 10% | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma at Level 3 | 6 | 9% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Dorset
Atlantic Academy Portland
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 769 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 34.0
Beaminster School
Voluntary controlled school · sixth form · 673 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.0
Budmouth Academy Weymouth
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,466 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.0
Dorset Studio School
Studio schools · 332 pupils
64% stayed in education · Attainment 8 34.1
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.