Shaftesbury School is a mixed secondary academy in Shaftesbury, Dorset Council, teaching 782 pupils aged 11 to 18. Ofsted rated it Good at its last graded inspection in March 2023. In 2024–2025, GCSE Attainment 8 was 39.1 (England 46.1). Its 2025–2026 calendar lists 3 holidays.

Ofsted inspection

The latest published Ofsted judgement for Shaftesbury School.

Latest inspection
Good Overall effectiveness
Quality of educationGood
Behaviour & attitudesGood
Personal developmentGood
Leadership & managementGood
Sixth formGood
S5 Inspection · Inspected 7 Mar 2023 · Published 10 May 2023
Read full Ofsted report ↗

Scale: Outstanding Good Requires improvement Inadequate

Term dates & holidays 2025–2026

Autumn, spring and summer terms, half-terms, INSET days and bank holidays for Shaftesbury School.

Shaftesbury School term dates calendar 2025–2026
Official term-dates calendar · 2025–2026 · source

Interactive Calendar

October 2025
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
  • 27–31 Autumn Half Term
November 2025
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
December 2025
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
January 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
February 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
  • 16–20 Spring Half Term
March 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
April 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
May 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
  • 25–29 Summer Half Term

Key dates (2025–2026)

  • Inset Day Wednesday 3 September 2025 Inset Day
  • Inset Day Thursday 4 September 2025 Inset Day
  • Inset Day Friday 5 September 2025 Inset Day
  • Autumn Term Starts Monday 8 September 2025 Term
  • Inset Day Friday 24 October 2025 Inset Day
  • Autumn Half Term 27 October 2025 - 31 October 2025 Holiday
  • Autumn Term Ends Thursday 18 December 2025 Term
  • Christmas Holiday Friday 19 December 2025 - Friday 2 January 2026 Holiday
  • Spring Term Starts Monday 5 January 2026 Term
  • Spring Half Term 16 February 2026 - 20 February 2026 Holiday
  • Inset Day Monday 23 February 2026 Inset Day
  • Spring Term Ends Friday 27 March 2026 Term
  • Easter Holiday Monday 30 March 2026 - Friday 10 April 2026 Holiday
  • Inset Day Monday 13 April 2026 Inset Day
  • Summer Term Starts Tuesday 14 April 2026 Term
  • Summer Half Term 25 May 2026 - 29 May 2026 Holiday
  • Summer Term Ends Wednesday 22 July 2026 Term
  • Summer Holiday Thursday 23 July 2026 - Early September 2026 Holiday
  • New Year's Day (Bank Holiday) Thursday 1 January 2026 Holiday
  • Good Friday (Bank Holiday) Friday 3 April 2026 Holiday
  • Easter Monday (Bank Holiday) Monday 6 April 2026 Holiday
  • Early May Bank Holiday Monday 4 May 2026 Holiday
  • Spring Bank Holiday Monday 25 May 2026 Holiday
  • Summer Bank Holiday Monday 31 August 2026 Holiday
  • Christmas Day (Bank Holiday) Thursday 25 December 2025 Holiday
  • Boxing Day (Bank Holiday) Friday 26 December 2025 Holiday

Exam results & performance

DfE performance tables Official results, 2024–2025 GOV.UK ↗
39.1 Attainment 8 England 46.1
27.5% Grade 5+ English & maths England 45.4%
25.98 A level average score England 35
32.2% Persistent absence England 17.8%

The measures that carry the most signal. Open a section to compare Shaftesbury School with Dorset Council and England.

Key stage 4 (GCSE) 39.1 Attainment 8 score

Year 11 results across eight qualifications, including English and maths.

This school Dorset Council England

Attainment 8 score · Average across 8 GCSEs, out of 90 39.1
Dorset Council 43.2 England 46.1 -7 vs England
Grade 5+ in English & maths · A strong pass 27.5%
Dorset Council 40.7% England 45.4% -17.9 vs England
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils 30.2
Dorset Council 31.1 England 34.9 -4.7 vs England
Disadvantage gap · Attainment 8 points; smaller is better 12.2
Dorset Council 15.8 England 15.5 -3.3 vs England
Disadvantaged pupils in the year group · Context for the scores above 27.5%
Dorset Council 23.9% England 28.2%
Pupils in the year group · Small cohorts swing wildly 138
16 to 18 (A level & sixth form) 25.98 A level average point score

Results for students finishing post-16 study.

This school Dorset Council England

A level average point score · Per entry, 50 = A* 25.98
Dorset Council 32.2 England 35 -9 vs England
A level students · Small cohorts swing wildly 61
Attendance 32.2% Persistently absent pupils

Absence across the whole school year.

This school Dorset Council England

Persistently absent pupils · Missed 10%+ of sessions; lower is better 32.2%
Dorset Council 19.5% England 17.8% +14.4 vs England
Overall absence · Lower is better 11.4%
Dorset Council 7.6% England 6.8% +4.7 vs England
What pupils do after GCSEs 96% In education, apprenticeship or work

Still in education, an apprenticeship or work a year after key stage 4.

This school Dorset Council England

In education, apprenticeship or work 96%
Dorset Council 94% England 92% +4 vs England
Same, for disadvantaged pupils 95%
Dorset Council 87% England 83% +12 vs England
What students do after 16 to 18 study 79% In education, apprenticeship or work

Destinations the year after finishing post-16 study.

This school Dorset Council England

In education, apprenticeship or work 79%
Dorset Council 80% England 79% in line with England
Went to higher education 36%
Dorset Council 27% England 37% -1 vs England
About this data source & caveats

Progress 8 is not published for 2024–2025. This year group missed their key stage 2 tests in 2020, so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

Attendance comparisons are pupil-weighted averages we calculate from every school’s published absence figure — the DfE absence file has no local authority or England rows of its own.

We show the headline measures only. Threshold and curriculum-policy figures — grade 4+ in English and maths, EBacc entry and points, the per-subject key stage 2 breakdown, academic and applied splits at 16 to 18 — reflect admissions and curriculum choices more than school quality, so they are left to GOV.UK. Progress measures matter most because they compare pupils with others who started at the same level; attainment on its own largely tracks a school’s intake.

Figures are the Department for Education’s official published results for Shaftesbury School. Results are suppressed where too few pupils were entered. England figures are the average for state-funded schools. “Top x%” is this school’s position among all schools in England with a published figure for that measure — the DfE does not publish league table rankings.

Source: Compare school and college performance, Department for Education. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Location & catchment area

Indicative catchment Other secondary schools

Indicative only. This is a nearest-school (Voronoi) estimate — the area closer to Shaftesbury School than to any other secondary school. Real admissions depend on the school’s own policy (straight-line distance, siblings, faith, feeder schools and available places) and change each year. Always confirm with the school and local authority admissions team.