UK Schools
The Purbeck School
The Purbeck School is a mixed secondary academy in Wareham, Dorset Council, teaching 1,022 pupils aged 11 to 18. It was last inspected by Ofsted in April 2025. In 2024–2025, GCSE Attainment 8 was 41.9 (England 46.1). The 2025–2026 school year runs from 2 September 2025 to 13 April 2026.
Ofsted inspection
The latest published Ofsted judgement for The Purbeck School.
Term dates & holidays 2025–2026
Autumn, spring and summer terms, half-terms, INSET days and bank holidays for The Purbeck School.
- 2 Start of Autumn Term (Year 7)
- 3 Start of Term - All Year Groups
- 27–31 Autumn Half Term
- 19 End of Autumn Term
- 22–31 Christmas Holiday
- 1–2 Christmas Holiday
- 6 Start of Spring Term
- 16–20 Spring Half Term
- 30–31 Easter Holiday
- 1–10 Easter Holiday
- 13 Start of Summer Term
- 25–29 Summer Half Term
- 20 Start of Summer Holidays
Key dates (2025–2026)
- Start of Autumn Term (Year 7) September 2, 2025 Term
- Start of Term - All Year Groups September 3, 2025 Term
- Autumn Half Term October 27–31, 2025 Holiday
- End of Autumn Term December 19, 2025 Term
- Christmas Holiday December 22, 2025 – January 2, 2026 Holiday
- Start of Spring Term January 6, 2026 Term
- Spring Half Term February 16–20, 2026 Holiday
- Easter Holiday March 30 – April 10, 2026 Holiday
- Start of Summer Term April 13, 2026 Term
- Summer Half Term May 25–29, 2026 Holiday
- Start of Summer Holidays July 20, 2026 Holiday
Exam results & performance
The measures that carry the most signal. Open a section to compare The Purbeck School with Dorset Council and England.
Key stage 4 (GCSE) 41.9 Attainment 8 score
Year 11 results across eight qualifications, including English and maths.
This school Dorset Council England
16 to 18 (A level & sixth form) 30.95 A level average point score
Results for students finishing post-16 study.
This school Dorset Council England
Attendance 21.7% Persistently absent pupils
Absence across the whole school year.
This school Dorset Council England
What pupils do after GCSEs 92% In education, apprenticeship or work
Still in education, an apprenticeship or work a year after key stage 4.
This school Dorset Council England
What students do after 16 to 18 study 83% In education, apprenticeship or work
Destinations the year after finishing post-16 study.
This school Dorset Council 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 The Purbeck 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 only. This is a nearest-school (Voronoi) estimate — the area closer to The Purbeck 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.