Cranbourne, Basingstoke

Ofsted's report card from its 6 January 2026 inspection grades Cranbourne on 6 areas: 1 strong standard, 4 expected standard and 1 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "The school's programme for pupils' personal development and wellbeing is of high quality."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils' outcomes at the end of Year 11 have improved over time and are broadly close to national averages."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "The school meets the ambition of the national curriculum."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Staff receive appropriate training on how to identify when pupils may have additional learning needs."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have a clear understanding of the school's strengths."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Pupils' attendance is below national averages."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should implement their attendance strategy fully, so that it results in pupils' high attendance, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers use assessment consistently well across the school, particularly to check on pupils' understanding of what they are taught and inform the next steps for pupils' learning".

In its own words: "Underpinning our house system, our Cranbourne community has four distinct values, adopted by our entire Cranbourne Community. These are: Although these values are linked to our distinct house identities, we would like all students to be able to demonstrate these values throughout their time at Cranbourne."

From the headteacher's welcome: "I believe it is our responsibility as a school to help students to shape their own future: to encourage their aspirations and provide opportunities for building confidence, resilience and leadership skills, as well as developing their awareness of the world around them."

Coming up: an open evening on Friday 30 October 2026 at 7pm and an open evening on Wednesday 25 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at Cranbourne averaged an Attainment 8 score of 42.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.6 in Hampshire and 47 across England.

33% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Hampshire and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 42.7.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.13: pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 30.1, against 46.8 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 16.7 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and Art and Design.

For September 2026 entry, 237 families put Cranbourne as their first choice and 562 named it as one of their preferences, for 224 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 58 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Cranbourne are The Blue Coat School Basingstoke (0.7 miles, Attainment 8 35.2); Brighton Hill Community School (0.8 miles, Attainment 8 45.2); Bishop Challoner Catholic Secondary School (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 58.1); and The Costello School (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 50.4).

Cranbourne's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

91 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Cranbourne (as of April 2026): 68% would recommend the school, 65% say their child is happy there and 38% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (70%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (38%).

Of the 70 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 81% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 27% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 6% into work.

In 2026, 164 pupils (15.1%) received SEN support and 80 (7.4%) 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.

Cranbourne has a resourced provision for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia: 17 places, 14 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Basingstoke Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Portacre Rise (near), 140 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 352 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Hampshire (72), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Cranbourne issued 104 suspensions, 10.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Cranbourne are Kings Furlong Junior School (0.2 miles), Kings Furlong Infant School and Nursery (0.2 miles), St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (0.3 miles) and Fairfields Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.