Bournemouth School for Girls
Castle Gate Close, Castle Lane West, Bournemouth, BH8 9UJ
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Girls
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- BOURNEMOUTH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
- Headteacher
- Mr David Sims
- Admissions policy
- Selective
- Constituency
- Bournemouth East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,210
- Pupils on roll
- 1,290
- URN
- 136996
- Local authority
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01202526289
About this school
Bournemouth School for Girls is a girls' secondary academy in Bournemouth. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,290 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
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
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Sixth form
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 170 | 178 | 177 |
| Attainment 8 score | 70.7 | 71.7 | 72.2 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.40 +0.17 to +0.63 | +0.54 +0.32 to +0.76 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 92% | 94.9% | 96% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 100% | 99.4% | 99.4% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 57% | 48.3% | 48% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 6.3 | 6.4 | 6.5 |
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 Bournemouth School for Girls 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 | 70.7 | 39.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 71.7 | 38.8 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 72.2 | 40 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,179 |
| 2023/24 | 1,209 |
| 2024/25 | 1,259 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bournemouth School for Girls compares
Bournemouth School for Girls ranked 2nd of 22 secondary schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 98% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 45% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 72.2 | 5.7% | 6.6% | 1,290 | — |
| The Bishop of Winchester Academy | 49.6 | 10.2% | 23.2% | 1,162 | 0.2 miles |
| Bournemouth School | 74.2 | 4.8% | 6.6% | 1,320 | 0.3 miles |
| Avonbourne Boys' Academy | 47.3 | 6.5% | 27.6% | 846 | 1.4 miles |
| Avonbourne Girls Academy | 53 | 7.2% | 24.7% | 1,160 | 1.4 miles |
| Glenmoor Academy | 60.7 | 5.4% | 23.7% | 902 | 1.6 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)
- 6.58%
- English as an additional language
- 14.9%
- Overall absence
- 5.65%
- Persistent absence
- 14.17%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Bishop of Winchester Academy0.2 miles
Secondary · Bournemouth
-
Bournemouth School0.3 miles
Secondary · Bournemouth
-
Avonbourne Boys' Academy1.4 miles
Secondary · Bournemouth
-
Avonbourne Girls Academy1.4 miles
Secondary · Bournemouth
-
Glenmoor Academy1.6 miles
Secondary · Bournemouth
Other schools in Bournemouth
Bournemouth School for Girls ranks 2nd of the 11 ranked secondary schools in Bournemouth.
- Avonbourne Boys' Academy Secondary
- Avonbourne Girls Academy Secondary
- Bournemouth School Secondary
- Glenmoor Academy Secondary
- LeAF Studio Secondary
- Oak Academy Secondary
- The Bishop of Winchester Academy Secondary
- The Bourne Academy Secondary
- Winton Academy Secondary
- Avonwood Primary School Primary
- Bearwood Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Bethany Church of England Junior School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Bournemouth School for Girls teach?
- Bournemouth School for Girls teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Bournemouth.
- Who is the headteacher of Bournemouth School for Girls?
- The headteacher of Bournemouth School for Girls is Mr David Sims, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Bournemouth School for Girls last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bournemouth School for Girls, 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 Bournemouth School for Girls?
- Bournemouth School for Girls has 1,290 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Bournemouth School for Girls full?
- Bournemouth School for Girls has capacity for 1,210 pupils and 1,290 on roll (107%), 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 Bournemouth School for Girls a faith school?
- No. Bournemouth School for Girls has no designated religious character.
- Is Bournemouth School for Girls a selective school?
- Yes. Bournemouth School for Girls is recorded as Selective in the schools register, so entry involves selection.
- Who runs Bournemouth School for Girls?
- Bournemouth School for Girls is part of BOURNEMOUTH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Bournemouth School for Girls's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 70.7 in 2022/23 and 72.2 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bournemouth School for Girls rank locally?
- Bournemouth School for Girls ranked 2nd of 22 secondary schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 98% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 45% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Bournemouth School for Girls's absence rate?
- Bournemouth School for Girls's overall absence rate is 5.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bournemouth School for Girls's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bournemouth School for Girls'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.