Ferndown Upper School

General Information

Address: Cherry Grove, Ferndown, BH22 9EY
Phone: 01202871243
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Philip Jones
Age range: 13-19 years
Sixth form: Yes
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Number of pupils: 1134
School capacity: 1146
Pupils eligible for free school meals: 182
% eligible for free school meals: 20.9%
Nursery provision: No

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Behaviour information for this school has not been added yet.

Attendance

Overall absence: 8.1%
Persistently absent pupils: 21.3%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

SEN provision information for this school has not been added yet.

Pupils on SEN Support: 12.4%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 4.2%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Specific learning difficulty: 53 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 30 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 21 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 11 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 10 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Specific learning difficulty: 16 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 13 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 11 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 5 pupils
Hearing impairment: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

–

School Ethos

–

Ability to Deal with Problems

–

Headteacher Approval

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Would recommend –

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Educational Attainment

Good 2021 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Educational attainment data for this school has not been added yet.

Attainment 8 score: 45.7
Data year: 2024/25

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

Ranked #8 of 17 Attainment 8 schools of this type in the area

#6The Gryphon School46.7
#7Sturminster Newton High School46.1
#8Ferndown Upper School45.7
#9Queen Elizabeth's School43.3
#10The Sir John Colfox Academy43.0

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

#1The Woodroffe School51.4
#2The Thomas Hardye School49.8
#3Beaminster School47.0
#4The Blandford School47.0
#5Lytchett Minster School46.8
#6The Gryphon School46.7
#7Sturminster Newton High School46.1
#8Ferndown Upper School45.7
#9Queen Elizabeth's School43.3
#10The Sir John Colfox Academy43.0
#11Budmouth Academy Weymouth42.0
#12The Purbeck School41.9
#13Wey Valley Academy41.0
#14Shaftesbury School39.1
#15The Swanage School36.9
#16All Saints' Church of England Academy35.6
#17Dorset Studio School34.1

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 92.0%
Went into further education: 88.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

English Language
Maths (General)
English Literature
Biology
Chemistry (General)
Physics (General)
Business Studies
Religious Studies
History
D & T
Art & Design
Photography
Geography
Spanish
Sociology
Food Technology
Sports Studies
Statistics
Computer Science
Media Studies
French Language
Music Studies (General)
Speech & Drama
Science Double Award
Russian
Community Development

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

View full Ofsted inspection report

Ranked #5 of 22 Ofsted Rating schools of this type in the area

#3Emmanuel Church of England Middle SchoolGood
#4Ferndown Middle SchoolGood
#5Ferndown Upper SchoolGood
#6Lockyer's Middle SchoolGood
#7Lytchett Minster SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

#1Beaminster SchoolGood
#2Dorset Studio SchoolGood
#3Emmanuel Church of England Middle SchoolGood
#4Ferndown Middle SchoolGood
#5Ferndown Upper SchoolGood
#6Lockyer's Middle SchoolGood
#7Lytchett Minster SchoolGood
#8Shaftesbury SchoolGood
#9St Mary's Church of England Middle School, PuddletownGood
#10St Michael's Church of England Middle School, ColehillGood
#11St Osmund's Church of England Middle SchoolGood
#12The Blandford SchoolGood
#13The Gryphon SchoolGood
#14The Sir John Colfox AcademyGood
#15The Swanage SchoolGood
#16The Woodroffe SchoolGood
#17West Moors Middle SchoolGood
#18Wey Valley AcademyGood
#19All Saints' Church of England AcademyRequires improvement
#20Budmouth Academy WeymouthRequires improvement
#21Dorchester Middle SchoolRequires improvement
#22Queen Elizabeth's SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Financial summary information for this school has not been added yet.

Spending per pupil: £7,798 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

Ranked #6 of 24 Spending Per Pupil schools of this type in the area

#4The Swanage School£9,162
#5All Saints' Church of England Academy£8,352
#6Ferndown Upper School£7,798
#7Beaminster School£7,758
#8The Woodroffe School£7,651

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

#1Dorset Studio School£12,868
#2The Sir John Colfox Academy£9,808
#3West Moors Middle School£9,264
#4The Swanage School£9,162
#5All Saints' Church of England Academy£8,352
#6Ferndown Upper School£7,798
#7Beaminster School£7,758
#8The Woodroffe School£7,651
#9Cranborne Middle School£7,640
#10The Purbeck School£7,591
#11Queen Elizabeth's School£7,473
#12The Blandford School£7,449
#13The Thomas Hardye School£7,222
#14Lytchett Minster School£6,991
#15Wey Valley Academy£6,932
#16St Mary's Church of England Middle School, Puddletown£6,672
#17Budmouth Academy Weymouth£6,654
#18Dorchester Middle School£6,499
#19Ferndown Middle School£6,227
#20St Michael's Church of England Middle School, Colehill£6,062
#21Emmanuel Church of England Middle School£5,779
#22St Osmund's Church of England Middle School£5,695
#23Allenbourn Middle School£5,475
#24Lockyer's Middle School£5,412

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

General Information

Behaviour

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Ofsted Rating ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered