Ferndown Upper School, Ferndown

Ofsted's report card from its 3 March 2026 inspection grades Ferndown Upper School on 7 areas: 5 strong standard and 2 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Strong standard. "Pupils make remarkable progress from their starting points."

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Pupils, and students in the sixth form, demonstrate strong levels of attendance."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Leaders have established an inclusive culture, where pupils' individual needs are identified quickly and accurately."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Staff are overwhelmingly supportive of the leadership team."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, benefit from high quality pastoral care and a wealth of wider opportunities alongside their academic learning."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have an accurate understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching."

Post 16 provision - Expected standard. "Leaders have designed broad and ambitious programmes of study in the sixth form."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that staff adapt their delivery of the curriculum consistently well for pupils with any barriers to their learning, so that these pupils benefit from high-quality support to learn successfully in all subjects"; "Leaders should build on their improvements in the sixth form, including ensuring teaching is consistently effective, so that students taking A levels make consistently strong progress from their starting points".

In 2026, pupils at Ferndown Upper School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.4 in Dorset and 47 across England.

42% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 39% in Dorset and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 45.7.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.34: pupils made above 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 40.4, against 47.8 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 7.4 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 28 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Biology, Physics and Chemistry.

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).

The nearest other state secondary schools to Ferndown Upper School are Ferndown Middle School (0.3 miles); West Moors Middle School (1.5 miles, Good); St Michael's Church of England Middle School, Colehill (2.8 miles, Good); and LeAF Studio (2.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 36.1).

101 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Ferndown Upper School (as of April 2026): 82% would recommend the school, 80% say their child is happy there and 69% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (88%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (69%).

Of the 239 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 35% to a further education college, 7% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 154 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 37% went on to university or other higher education, 12% to apprenticeships and 28% into work. 13% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

5.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

Ferndown Upper School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 10 places, 10 pupils on roll.

There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Ferndown Upper School.

5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Upper School (ne-bound), 50 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 38 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and burglary. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Dorset (25), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Ferndown Upper School issued 124 suspensions, 10.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 6 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Ferndown Upper School are Ferndown First School (0.4 miles), Parley First School (1 mile), Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School (1.5 miles) and Oakhurst Community First School (1.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.