Bournemouth School
East Way, Bournemouth, BH8 9PY
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Boys
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- BOURNEMOUTH SCHOOL
- Headteacher
- Dr Dorian Lewis
- Admissions policy
- Selective
- Constituency
- Bournemouth East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,100
- Pupils on roll
- 1,320
- URN
- 137452
- Local authority
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01202512609
About this school
Bournemouth School is a boys' secondary academy in Bournemouth. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,320 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Bournemouth School, and its latest judgement is set out 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 | 152 | 180 | 174 |
| Attainment 8 score | 70.8 | 73.3 | 74.2 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.56 +0.33 to +0.80 | +0.71 +0.49 to +0.93 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 94% | 95.6% | 96% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 99% | 100% | 98.9% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 80% | 82.8% | 90.8% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 6.7 | 7.0 | 7.2 |
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 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 | 70.8 | 39.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 73.3 | 38.8 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 74.2 | 40 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,163 |
| 2023/24 | 1,230 |
| 2024/25 | 1,284 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bournemouth School compares
Bournemouth School ranked 1st 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 64% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 74.2 | 4.8% | 6.6% | 1,320 | — |
| Bournemouth School for Girls | 72.2 | 5.7% | 6.6% | 1,290 | 0.3 miles |
| The Bishop of Winchester Academy | 49.6 | 10.2% | 23.2% | 1,162 | 0.4 miles |
| Glenmoor Academy | 60.7 | 5.4% | 23.7% | 902 | 1.4 miles |
| Winton Academy | 55.4 | 4.5% | 18.9% | 902 | 1.4 miles |
| Avonbourne Girls Academy | 53 | 7.2% | 24.7% | 1,160 | 1.5 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)
- 6.56%
- English as an additional language
- 13.2%
- Overall absence
- 4.82%
- Persistent absence
- 10.53%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Bournemouth School for Girls0.3 miles
Secondary · Bournemouth
-
The Bishop of Winchester Academy0.4 miles
Secondary · Bournemouth
-
Glenmoor Academy1.4 miles
Secondary · Bournemouth
-
Winton Academy1.4 miles
Secondary · Bournemouth
-
Avonbourne Girls Academy1.5 miles
Secondary · Bournemouth
Other schools in Bournemouth
Bournemouth School ranks 1st of the 11 ranked secondary schools in Bournemouth.
- Avonbourne Boys' Academy Secondary
- Avonbourne Girls Academy Secondary
- Bournemouth School for Girls 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 ages does Bournemouth School teach?
- Bournemouth School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Bournemouth.
- Who is the headteacher of Bournemouth School?
- The headteacher of Bournemouth School is Dr Dorian Lewis, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Bournemouth School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bournemouth 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 Bournemouth School?
- Bournemouth School has 1,320 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Bournemouth School full?
- Bournemouth School has capacity for 1,100 pupils and 1,320 on roll (120%), 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 a faith school?
- No. Bournemouth School has no designated religious character.
- Is Bournemouth School a selective school?
- Yes. Bournemouth School is recorded as Selective in the schools register, so entry involves selection.
- Is Bournemouth School part of an academy trust?
- Bournemouth School is part of BOURNEMOUTH SCHOOL. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Bournemouth School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 70.8 in 2022/23 and 74.2 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 compare with other schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?
- Bournemouth School ranked 1st 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 64% 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's absence rate?
- Bournemouth School's overall absence rate is 4.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bournemouth School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bournemouth 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.