Dorset Studio School
Kingston Maurward, Dorchester, DT2 8PX
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Studio schools
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- KINGSTON MAURWARD STUDIO SCHOOL LIMITED
- Headteacher
- Mr Jason Malone
- Constituency
- West Dorset
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 375
- Pupils on roll
- 332
- URN
- 140977
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01305443600
About this school
Dorset Studio School is a secondary school in Dorchester. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 332 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
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 66 | 64 | 69 |
| Attainment 8 score | 34.5 | 29.1 | 34.1 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.09 -0.45 to +0.26 | -0.50 -0.85 to -0.15 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 6% | 7.8% | 14.5% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 32% | 21.9% | 40.6% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 2.6 | 2.3 | 2.8 |
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 Dorset Studio 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 | 34.5 | 36.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 29.1 | 36.8 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 34.1 | 35.5 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 12.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 12.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 12.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 357 |
| 2023/24 | 345 |
| 2024/25 | 325 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Dorset Studio School compares
Dorset Studio School ranked 18th of 19 secondary schools in Dorset for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 26% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 3% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 34.1 | 12.7% | 32.3% | 332 | — |
| The Thomas Hardye School | 49.8 | 11.2% | 19.2% | 2,014 | 2.3 miles |
| Wey Valley Academy | 41 | 14% | 34.1% | 994 | 5.9 miles |
| Budmouth Academy Weymouth | 42 | 10.1% | 27.3% | 1,466 | 8.3 miles |
| All Saints' Church of England Academy | 35.6 | 12.8% | 35.2% | 598 | 8.9 miles |
| The Blandford School | 47 | 8.7% | 20.8% | 1,103 | 14.3 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)
- 32.31%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 12.73%
- Persistent absence
- 42.39%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Thomas Hardye School2.3 miles
Secondary · Dorchester
-
Wey Valley Academy5.9 miles
Secondary · Weymouth
-
Budmouth Academy Weymouth8.3 miles
Secondary · Weymouth
-
All Saints' Church of England Academy8.9 miles
Secondary · Weymouth
-
The Blandford School14.3 miles
Secondary · Blandford Forum
Other schools in Dorchester
- The Thomas Hardye School Secondary
- Broadmayne First School Primary
- Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School Primary
- Cerne Abbas CofE VC First School Primary
- Cheselbourne Village School Primary
- Damers First School Primary
- Frome Valley CofE First School Primary
- Maiden Newton, Greenford Church of England Primary School Primary
- Manor Park Church of England First School Primary
- Piddle Valley Church of England First School Primary
- Puddletown Church of England First School Primary
- St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Dorset Studio School teach?
- Dorset Studio School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Dorchester.
- Who is the headteacher of Dorset Studio School?
- The headteacher of Dorset Studio School is Mr Jason Malone, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Dorset Studio School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Dorset Studio 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 big is Dorset Studio School?
- Dorset Studio School has 332 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Dorset Studio School full?
- Dorset Studio School has capacity for 375 pupils and 332 on roll (89%), 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 Dorset Studio School a faith school?
- No. Dorset Studio School has no designated religious character.
- Who runs Dorset Studio School?
- Dorset Studio School is part of KINGSTON MAURWARD STUDIO SCHOOL LIMITED. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Dorset Studio School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 34.5 in 2022/23 and 34.1 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Dorset Studio School rank locally?
- Dorset Studio School ranked 18th of 19 secondary schools in Dorset for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 26% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 3% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Dorset Studio School's absence rate?
- Dorset Studio School's overall absence rate is 12.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Dorset Studio School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Dorset Studio 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.