Shaftesbury School
Salisbury Road, Shaftesbury, SP7 8ER
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- SHERBORNE AREA SCHOOLS' TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Stephanie Bowen
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Constituency
- North Dorset
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,283
- Pupils on roll
- 782
- URN
- 140898
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01747854498
About this school
Shaftesbury School is a Church of England secondary academy in Shaftesbury. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 782 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Shaftesbury 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
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 166 | 137 | 138 |
| Attainment 8 score | 41.5 | 42.1 | 39.1 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.30 -0.53 to -0.08 | -0.50 -0.74 to -0.25 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 30% | 34.3% | 27.5% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 60% | 54.7% | 52.9% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 40% | 38.7% | 31.9% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.5 |
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 Shaftesbury 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 | Dorset average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 41.5 | 36.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 42.1 | 36.8 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 39.1 | 35.5 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 11.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 11.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 11.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 905 |
| 2023/24 | 868 |
| 2024/25 | 864 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Shaftesbury School compares
Shaftesbury School ranked 15th of 19 secondary schools in Dorset for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 36% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 5% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 39.1 | 11.4% | 27.9% | 782 | — |
| Gillingham School | 42.7 | 9.5% | 20.3% | 1,684 | 4.3 miles |
| Sturminster Newton High School | 46.1 | 10.9% | 29.6% | 605 | 6.9 miles |
| The Blandford School | 47 | 8.7% | 20.8% | 1,103 | 9.7 miles |
| King Arthur's School | 40.6 | 8.9% | 26.1% | 450 | 10.9 miles |
| The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury | — | 5.4% | 14.1% | 201 | 0.6 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)
- 27.86%
- English as an additional language
- 6.5%
- Overall absence
- 11.43%
- Persistent absence
- 32.17%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Gillingham School4.3 miles
Secondary · Gillingham
-
Sturminster Newton High School6.9 miles
Secondary · Sturminster Newton
-
The Blandford School9.7 miles
Secondary · Blandford Forum
-
King Arthur's School10.9 miles
Secondary · Wincanton
-
The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury0.6 miles
Primary · Shaftesbury
Other schools in Shaftesbury
- Ludwell Primary School Primary
- Motcombe CofE Primary School Primary
- Semley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Shaftesbury Church of England Primary School Primary
- St Andrew's Church of England Primary School Primary
- The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury Primary
- Coombe House School Special schools
- Port Regis Preparatory School Independent schools
Common questions
- What ages does Shaftesbury School teach?
- Shaftesbury School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Shaftesbury.
- Who is the headteacher of Shaftesbury School?
- The headteacher of Shaftesbury School is Mrs Stephanie Bowen, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Shaftesbury School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Shaftesbury 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 Shaftesbury School?
- Shaftesbury School has 782 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Shaftesbury School full?
- Shaftesbury School has capacity for 1,283 pupils and 782 on roll (61%), so it has space against 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 Shaftesbury School a faith school?
- Yes. Shaftesbury School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Is Shaftesbury School a selective school?
- No. Shaftesbury School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Shaftesbury School part of an academy trust?
- Shaftesbury School is part of SHERBORNE AREA SCHOOLS' TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Shaftesbury School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 41.5 in 2022/23 and 39.1 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Shaftesbury School compare with other schools in Dorset?
- Shaftesbury School ranked 15th of 19 secondary schools in Dorset for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 36% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 5% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Shaftesbury School's absence rate?
- Shaftesbury School's overall absence rate is 11.4% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Shaftesbury School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Shaftesbury 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.