Cranborne Middle School, Wimborne
Cranborne Middle School is a secondary school for pupils aged 9 to 13 in Wimborne. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 39th-highest of the 89 schools in Dorset with published results, and 8,950th of 14,452 across England. It was 72% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Capacity
- 72% full
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Dorset (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Cranborne Middle School in detail
Results
In 2025, 74% of Year 6 pupils at Cranborne Middle School reached the expected standard in reading and 73% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 71% in Dorset and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 76% in reading and 65% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Cranborne Middle School
Across Dorset, 98% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Dorset lodged 85 appeals against secondary school offers; 58 reached a hearing and 22 succeeded (37.9% of those heard).
What parents say
37 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Cranborne Middle School (as of September 2025): 87% would recommend the school, 87% say their child is happy there and 73% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (89%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (73%).
Who goes there
0.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 25 pupils (9.4%) received SEN support and 7 (2.6%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a moderate learning difficulty.
Staffing
Cranborne Middle School had 14 teachers in 2026, one for every 22 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Cranborne Middle School.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Middle School (ne-bound), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 1 crime within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Dorset (25).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Cranborne Middle School issued 14 suspensions, 4.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from June 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Some aspects are not as strong as at the last graded inspection.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Cranborne Middle School creates a warm, welcoming environment where your child will feel safe and valued. The school has strong behaviour management and offers a broad range of clubs and activities - from trampolining and roller skating to arts - ensuring there is truly something for everyone. Reading is a key priority with exposure to quality texts and dedicated reading time to build confidence.
Key Strengths
- Positive, nurturing school culture where pupils feel safe and valued - ARROWS values of respect and willingness are well embedded
- Strong reading provision with challenging texts like Shakespeare and dedicated tutor time for reading for pleasure
- Comprehensive personal development programme including enrichment days, online safety workshops, and leadership opportunities for older pupils
- Good behaviour management with clear expectations and a fair behaviour ladder system that pupils understand
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent presentation and completion of written work across subjects, particularly in mathematics
- Teaching does not consistently deliver the ambition of the curriculum - some misconceptions persist because teachers do not always act on assessment information
- Leaders' oversight of how well pupils are learning the curriculum is not strong enough in all subjects
- Not all staff use initial assessment checks ('do now' tasks) to adapt future learning effectively
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with strong systems and a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Trampolining, roller skating, arts, sports ambassadors programme, trips to London and Paris, visits to synagogue
Cranborne Middle School is a welcoming school with strong pastoral support and good pupil behaviour, but some aspects of teaching and learning quality have weakened since the previous inspection. The school is working to improve writing and mathematics outcomes following a dip in Year 6 results in 2024.
At a Glance
18.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
37 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
14
Suspensions
4.58%
Suspension rate
8 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 306 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 2 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Cranborne Middle School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Cranborne Middle School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Cranborne Middle School is in Dorset; for families living there:
Apply to Dorset for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Dorset is 3 (the median across 184 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Will you get a place at Cranborne Middle School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Cranborne Middle School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Cranborne Middle School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Cranborne Middle School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Dorset, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- How many families in Dorset got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
72%
Available places
303 pupils
421 places
118 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Wimborne
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wimborne
Across Dorset council
Places available
2,797
Applications
2,105
Got 1st preference
97.9%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All secondary applications across Dorset council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(8)
Ungraded inspection: Some aspects are not as strong as at the last graded inspection.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
25
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
12.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
265
Total Pupils
128
Boys
137
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
18.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,747
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,057
Per pupil
£1999k
Total funding
£57k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.7%
Overall absence
14.7%
Persistent absence
312
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Cranborne Middle School
Questions parents ask about Cranborne Middle School
What are SATs results like at Cranborne Middle School?
Of the pupils at Cranborne Middle School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 74% reached the expected standard in reading and 73% did so in maths.
What is Cranborne Middle School's Ofsted rating?
Cranborne Middle School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Cranborne Middle School?
No fixed boundary. When Cranborne Middle School is oversubscribed, Dorset allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Cranborne Middle School?
Cranborne Middle School was not full in 2025: it ran at 72% of its 421 places.
How big are the classes at Cranborne Middle School?
Classes at Cranborne Middle School average 26.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Cranborne Middle School?
Cranborne Middle School has around 265 pupils on roll. 19% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Cranborne Middle School?
5.7% of sessions were missed at Cranborne Middle School in 2024/25. 14.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Cranborne Middle School?
Apply through Dorset's coordinated admissions process, naming Cranborne Middle School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Cranborne Middle School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Dorset is 3 (the median across 184 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Cranborne Middle School?
Cranborne Middle School is at Cranborne, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 5RP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)