St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole
Dale Valley Road, Oakdale, Poole, BH15 3HY
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England/Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mr Chris Barnett
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Constituency
- Poole
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,146
- Pupils on roll
- 1,093
- URN
- 113893
- Local authority
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01202740950
About this school
St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole is a voluntary aided secondary school in Poole. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,093 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 23 November 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 178 | 177 | 175 |
| Attainment 8 score | 46.4 | 44.8 | 46.4 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.18 -0.03 to +0.39 | +0.09 -0.12 to +0.30 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 44% | 45.8% | 50.9% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 71% | 65% | 70.3% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 33% | 44.6% | 68.6% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.3 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 46.4 | 39.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 44.8 | 38.8 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 46.4 | 40 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,099 |
| 2023/24 | 1,072 |
| 2024/25 | 1,059 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole compares
St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole ranked 15th of 22 secondary schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 63% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 22% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 46.4 | 7.4% | 13.8% | 1,093 | — |
| Magna Academy | 44.3 | 7.9% | 24.8% | 938 | 0.8 miles |
| St Aldhelm's Academy | 33.6 | 13% | 45.8% | 808 | 1.2 miles |
| Parkstone Grammar School | 68.5 | 5.1% | 6.9% | 1,241 | 1.3 miles |
| Poole High School | 51 | 8.8% | 20.6% | 1,891 | 1.4 miles |
| Poole Grammar School | 70.2 | 5.2% | 5.9% | 1,224 | 1.4 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 13.82%
- English as an additional language
- 14.8%
- Overall absence
- 7.36%
- Persistent absence
- 20.11%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Magna Academy0.8 miles
Secondary · Poole
-
St Aldhelm's Academy1.2 miles
Secondary · Poole
-
Parkstone Grammar School1.3 miles
Secondary · Poole
-
Poole High School1.4 miles
Secondary · Poole
-
Poole Grammar School1.4 miles
Secondary · Poole
Other schools in Poole
St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole ranks 5th of the 8 ranked secondary schools in Poole.
- Lytchett Minster School Secondary
- Magna Academy Secondary
- Parkstone Grammar School Secondary
- Poole Grammar School Secondary
- Poole High School Secondary
- St Aldhelm's Academy Secondary
- The Cornerstone Academy Secondary
- Ad Astra Infant School Primary
- Baden-Powell and St Peter's Church of England Junior School Primary
- Bayside Academy Primary
- Bishop Aldhelm's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Canford Heath Infant School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole teach?
- St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Poole.
- Who is the headteacher of St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole?
- The headteacher of St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole is Mr Chris Barnett, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole?
- St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole has 1,093 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole full?
- St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole has capacity for 1,146 pupils and 1,093 on roll (95%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole a faith school?
- Yes. St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole is designated Church of England/Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Is St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole a selective school?
- No. St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 46.4 in 2022/23 and 46.4 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole rank locally?
- St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole ranked 15th of 22 secondary schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 63% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 22% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole's absence rate?
- St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole's overall absence rate is 7.4% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.