Highcliffe St Mark Primary School
Greenways, Highcliffe, Christchurch, BH23 5AZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Foundation school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- Christchurch Learning Partnership and Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Claire Barker
- Diocese
- Diocese of Winchester
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Christchurch
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 654
- Pupils on roll
- 651
- URN
- 134987
- Local authority
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01425273029
About this school
Highcliffe St Mark Primary School is a Church of England foundation primary school in Christchurch. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 651 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Highcliffe St Mark Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 97 | 97 | 95 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 45% | 67% | 58% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 11% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 71% | 81% | 78% |
| Expected standard in maths | 57% | 78% | 75% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 66% | 77% | 77% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.60 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Highcliffe St Mark Primary School 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 | 45% | 56.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 67% | 58.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 58% | 59% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 652 |
| 2023/24 | 641 |
| 2024/25 | 610 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Highcliffe St Mark Primary School compares
Highcliffe St Mark Primary School ranked 37th of 52 primary schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 54% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 58% | 5.2% | 7.4% | 651 | — |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch | 74% | 7.1% | 33.5% | 199 | 1.8 miles |
| New Milton Junior School | 68% | 5.3% | 35.8% | 320 | 1.9 miles |
| New Milton Infant School | — | 6.5% | 23.5% | 167 | 1.9 miles |
| Mudeford Junior School | 82% | 4.3% | 19.5% | 255 | 2.2 miles |
| Somerford Primary School | 41% | 6.5% | 49.7% | 169 | 2.2 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)
- 7.38%
- English as an additional language
- 3.8%
- Overall absence
- 5.2%
- Persistent absence
- 12.09%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch1.8 miles
Primary · Christchurch
-
New Milton Junior School1.9 miles
Primary · New Milton
-
New Milton Infant School1.9 miles
Primary · New Milton
-
Mudeford Junior School2.2 miles
Primary · Christchurch
-
Somerford Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Christchurch
Other schools in Christchurch
Highcliffe St Mark Primary School ranks 7th of the 10 ranked primary schools in Christchurch.
- Bransgore Church of England Primary School Primary
- Burton Church of England Primary School Primary
- Christchurch Infant School Primary
- Christchurch Junior School Primary
- Mudeford Community Infants' School Primary
- Mudeford Junior School Primary
- Somerford Primary School Primary
- Sopley Primary School Primary
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch Primary
- The Priory Church of England Primary School Primary
- Twynham Primary School Primary
- Highcliffe School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Highcliffe St Mark Primary School teach?
- Highcliffe St Mark Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Christchurch.
- Who is the headteacher of Highcliffe St Mark Primary School?
- The headteacher of Highcliffe St Mark Primary School is Mrs Claire Barker, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Highcliffe St Mark Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Highcliffe St Mark Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Highcliffe St Mark Primary School?
- Highcliffe St Mark Primary School has 651 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Highcliffe St Mark Primary School full?
- Highcliffe St Mark Primary School has capacity for 654 pupils and 651 on roll (100%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Highcliffe St Mark Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Highcliffe St Mark Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Winchester.
- Does Highcliffe St Mark Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Highcliffe St Mark Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Highcliffe St Mark Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Highcliffe St Mark Primary School is part of Christchurch Learning Partnership and Church of England. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Highcliffe St Mark Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 45% in 2022/23 and 58% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Highcliffe St Mark Primary School compare with other schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?
- Highcliffe St Mark Primary School ranked 37th of 52 primary schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 54% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Highcliffe St Mark Primary School's absence rate?
- Highcliffe St Mark Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Highcliffe St Mark Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Highcliffe St Mark Primary School'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 1 July 2026.