Harbour Vale School
Simons Road, Sherborne, DT9 4DN
- Phase
- Academies
- School type
- Academy alternative provision sponsor led
- Ages
- 5 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- SHERBORNE AREA SCHOOLS' TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Kelly Knight
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- West Dorset
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 38
- Pupils on roll
- 23
- URN
- 146958
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01935814582
About this school
Harbour Vale School is a special academy in Sherborne. It teaches children aged 5 to 16 and has 23 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Harbour Vale 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
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Trends over time
How Harbour Vale 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 |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6 |
| 2023/24 | 8 |
| 2024/25 | 18 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 66.67%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sherborne School0.5 miles
Independent schools · Sherborne
-
Sherborne Preparatory School0.5 miles
Independent schools · Sherborne
-
Sherborne School for Girls0.7 miles
Independent schools · Sherborne
-
Leweston School3.1 miles
Independent schools · Sherborne
-
Fiveways Special School4.4 miles
Special schools · Yeovil
Other schools in Sherborne
- All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Charlton Horethorne Church of England Primary School Primary
- Milborne Port Primary School Primary
- Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School Primary
- Sherborne Primary School Primary
- St Andrew's Church of England Primary School Primary
- St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas Primary
- Thornford CofE Primary School Primary
- Trent Young's CofE Primary School Primary
- The Gryphon School Secondary
- Leweston School Independent schools
- Sherborne Preparatory School Independent schools
Common questions
- What ages does Harbour Vale School teach?
- Harbour Vale School teaches children aged 5 to 16. It is a special school in Sherborne.
- Who is the headteacher of Harbour Vale School?
- The headteacher of Harbour Vale School is Mrs Kelly Knight, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Harbour Vale School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Harbour Vale 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 Harbour Vale School?
- Harbour Vale School has 23 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 16.
- Is Harbour Vale School full?
- Harbour Vale School has capacity for 38 pupils and 23 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 Harbour Vale School a faith school?
- No. Harbour Vale School has no designated religious character.
- Is Harbour Vale School part of an academy trust?
- Harbour Vale 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.
- What SEN provision does Harbour Vale School have?
- The schools register lists Harbour Vale School's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health; MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- Does Harbour Vale School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Harbour Vale School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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.