Highcliffe School
Parkside, Highcliffe, Christchurch, BH23 4QD
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- HISP MULTI ACADEMY TRUST LTD
- Headteacher
- Mr Patrick Earnshaw
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- HISP Multi Academy Trust Ltd
- Constituency
- Christchurch
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,461
- Pupils on roll
- 1,519
- URN
- 136763
- Local authority
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01425273381
About this school
Highcliffe School is a secondary academy in Christchurch. It teaches children aged 11 to 19 and has 1,519 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Highcliffe 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 28 June 2023, 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 | 236 | 235 | 254 |
| Attainment 8 score | 48.0 | 50.6 | 47.0 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.18 -0.36 to 0.00 | -0.05 -0.24 to +0.13 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 47% | 54.9% | 45.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 73% | 76.6% | 75.2% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 41% | 49.4% | 45.7% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.3 | 4.6 | 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 Highcliffe 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 | 48 | 39.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 50.6 | 38.8 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 47 | 40 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,513 |
| 2023/24 | 1,509 |
| 2024/25 | 1,565 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Highcliffe School compares
Highcliffe School ranked 13th of 22 secondary schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 66% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 47 | 7% | 14.9% | 1,519 | — |
| The Grange School | 36.3 | 15.7% | 43.9% | 429 | 1.5 miles |
| The Arnewood School | 37.6 | 7.9% | 26.7% | 839 | 2.6 miles |
| Twynham School | 53.5 | 8% | 18.4% | 1,651 | 2.8 miles |
| Avonbourne Boys' Academy | 47.3 | 6.5% | 27.6% | 846 | 4.6 miles |
| Avonbourne Girls Academy | 53 | 7.2% | 24.7% | 1,160 | 4.6 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)
- 14.86%
- English as an additional language
- 3.1%
- Overall absence
- 7.01%
- Persistent absence
- 18.22%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Grange School1.5 miles
Secondary · Christchurch
-
The Arnewood School2.6 miles
Secondary · New Milton
-
Twynham School2.8 miles
Secondary · Christchurch
-
Avonbourne Boys' Academy4.6 miles
Secondary · Bournemouth
-
Avonbourne Girls Academy4.6 miles
Secondary · Bournemouth
Other schools in Christchurch
- The Grange School Secondary
- Twynham School Secondary
- Bransgore Church of England Primary School Primary
- Burton Church of England Primary School Primary
- Christchurch Infant School Primary
- Christchurch Junior School Primary
- Highcliffe St Mark Primary 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
Common questions
- What ages does Highcliffe School teach?
- Highcliffe School teaches children aged 11 to 19. It is a secondary school in Christchurch.
- Who is the headteacher of Highcliffe School?
- The headteacher of Highcliffe School is Mr Patrick Earnshaw, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Highcliffe School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Highcliffe 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 School?
- Highcliffe School has 1,519 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 19.
- Is Highcliffe School full?
- Highcliffe School has capacity for 1,461 pupils and 1,519 on roll (104%), 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 School a faith school?
- No. Highcliffe School has no designated religious character.
- Is Highcliffe School a selective school?
- No. Highcliffe School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Highcliffe School part of an academy trust?
- Highcliffe School is part of HISP MULTI ACADEMY TRUST LTD. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Highcliffe School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 48 in 2022/23 and 47 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 School compare with other schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?
- Highcliffe School ranked 13th of 22 secondary schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 66% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% 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 School's absence rate?
- Highcliffe School's overall absence rate is 7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Highcliffe School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Highcliffe 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.