Harbour Vale School, Sherborne
Harbour Vale School is an all-through school for pupils aged 5 to 16 in Sherborne, part of Sherborne Area Schools' Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2024.
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Harbour Vale School in detail
Getting a place at Harbour Vale 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).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Harbour Vale School are The Gryphon School (0.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.4); and Buckler's Mead School (4.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.3).
The trust
Harbour Vale School is one of 18 schools run by Sherborne Area Schools' Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
69.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 4.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (83%) and Mixed (9%).
In 2026, 11 pupils (47.8%) received SEN support and 4 (17.4%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Harbour Vale School has a resourced provision for autism, social, emotional and mental health needs and moderate learning difficulties: 36 places, 34 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Sherborne Rail Station, about 1140 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Simons Road (nw-bound), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 37 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Dorset (25), as is usual near a town centre.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Harbour Vale School are Sherborne Primary School (under 0.1 miles) and Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School (1.2 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Sherborne Primary SchoolSherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its April 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
69.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism, SEMH, MLD
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 1 nearby all-through school
Keep up with Harbour Vale School
Before and after school care
Harbour Vale School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Dorset
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Harbour Vale School.
- Activate Camps at Sherborne School820m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Harbour Vale School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Harbour Vale 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
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 9 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
1 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
61%
Available places
23 pupils
38 places
15 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Sherborne
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Sherborne
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(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
11
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
65.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Harbour Vale School has a resourced provision for autism, social, emotional and mental health needs and moderate learning difficulties: 36 places, 34 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
23
Total Pupils
11
Boys
12
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
1.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,640
Mean salary
2026 data
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Harbour Vale School
Questions parents ask about Harbour Vale School
What is Harbour Vale School's Ofsted rating?
Harbour Vale School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in April 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2017 it was rated Inadequate.
What is the catchment area for Harbour Vale School?
No fixed boundary. When Harbour Vale School is oversubscribed, Dorset allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Harbour Vale School?
Harbour Vale School has around 23 pupils on roll. 70% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Harbour Vale School have specialist SEN provision?
Harbour Vale School has a resourced provision for autism, social, emotional and mental health needs and moderate learning difficulties: 36 places, 34 pupils on roll.
How do I apply to Harbour Vale School?
Apply through Dorset's coordinated admissions process, naming Harbour Vale School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
Does Harbour Vale School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Harbour Vale School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Harbour Vale School: Activate Camps at Sherborne School (820m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Harbour Vale School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 9 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 1 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 Harbour Vale School?
Harbour Vale School is at Simons Road, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 4DN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)