Emmanuel Church of England Middle School
Howe Lane, Verwood, BH31 6JF
- Phase
- Middle deemed secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 9 to 13
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- INITIO LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Rob Christopher
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Sponsor
- Wimborne Academy Trust
- Constituency
- North Dorset
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 480
- Pupils on roll
- 434
- URN
- 145405
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01202828100
About this school
Emmanuel Church of England Middle School is a Church of England middle academy in Verwood. It teaches children aged 9 to 13 and has 434 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. 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
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 121 | 119 | 98 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 70% | 61% | 65% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 13% | 12% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 84% | 76% | 77% |
| Expected standard in maths | 84% | 76% | 79% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 84% | 71% | 79% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.10 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Emmanuel Church of England Middle 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 | 70% | 53.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 61% | 53.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 65% | 54.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 451 |
| 2023/24 | 426 |
| 2024/25 | 439 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Emmanuel Church of England Middle School compares
Emmanuel Church of England Middle School ranked 24th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 53% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 65% | 5.3% | 18.7% | 434 | — |
| West Moors Middle School | 49% | 10.3% | 36.4% | 240 | 3.6 miles |
| Cranborne Middle School | 65% | 5.7% | 17.3% | 265 | 3.7 miles |
| Ferndown Middle School | 45% | 6.7% | 20.9% | 600 | 4.9 miles |
| St Michael's Church of England Middle School, Colehill | 65% | 5.9% | 14.8% | 563 | 5.7 miles |
| Allenbourn Middle School | 68% | 6.3% | 18% | 499 | 6.6 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)
- 18.68%
- English as an additional language
- 1.4%
- Overall absence
- 5.33%
- Persistent absence
- 12.81%
Location
Nearby schools
-
West Moors Middle School3.6 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Ferndown
-
Cranborne Middle School3.7 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Wimborne
-
Ferndown Middle School4.9 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Ferndown
-
St Michael's Church of England Middle School, Colehill5.7 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Wimborne
-
Allenbourn Middle School6.6 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Wimborne
Other schools in Verwood
Common questions
- What year groups does Emmanuel Church of England Middle School teach?
- Emmanuel Church of England Middle School teaches children aged 9 to 13. It is a middle school in Verwood.
- Who is the headteacher of Emmanuel Church of England Middle School?
- The headteacher of Emmanuel Church of England Middle School is Mr Rob Christopher, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Emmanuel Church of England Middle School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Emmanuel Church of England Middle 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 Emmanuel Church of England Middle School?
- Emmanuel Church of England Middle School has 434 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 9 to 13.
- Is Emmanuel Church of England Middle School full?
- Emmanuel Church of England Middle School has capacity for 480 pupils and 434 on roll (90%), 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 Emmanuel Church of England Middle School a faith school?
- Yes. Emmanuel Church of England Middle School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Who runs Emmanuel Church of England Middle School?
- Emmanuel Church of England Middle School is part of INITIO LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Emmanuel Church of England Middle School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 70% in 2022/23 and 65% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Emmanuel Church of England Middle School rank locally?
- Emmanuel Church of England Middle School ranked 24th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 53% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Emmanuel Church of England Middle School's absence rate?
- Emmanuel Church of England Middle School's overall absence rate is 5.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Emmanuel Church of England Middle School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Emmanuel Church of England Middle 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 10 July 2026.