Highcliffe St Mark Primary School, Christchurch
Highcliffe St Mark Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Christchurch, part of Christchurch Learning Partnership and Church of England. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 6th-highest of the 10 schools in Christchurch with published results, and 7,614th of 14,452 across England. It was 96% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Highcliffe St Mark Primary School in detail
Highcliffe St Mark Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Highcliffe St Mark Primary School is a Church of England Foundation School where our Christian values of respect, courage and compassion are at the heart of everything we do."
Coming up: an open day on Friday 20 November 2026 at 2.20pm. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils at Highcliffe St Mark Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 75% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 75% in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 81% in reading and 78% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Highcliffe St Mark Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 68 families put Highcliffe St Mark Primary School as their first choice and 117 named it as one of their preferences, for 58 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 11 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Highcliffe St Mark Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Highcliffe St Mark Primary School are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch (1.8 miles, Good, 81% reading, 85% maths); New Milton Junior School (1.9 miles, Good, 79% reading, 75% maths); New Milton Infant School (1.9 miles, Good); and Mudeford Junior School (2.2 miles, Good, 85% reading, 86% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Highcliffe St Mark Primary School.
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, ChristchurchNew Milton Junior SchoolNew Milton Infant SchoolMudeford Junior School
The trust
Highcliffe St Mark Primary School is run by its own single-school academy trust.
Who goes there
6.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 43 pupils (6.6%) received SEN support and 22 (3.4%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Hinton Admiral Rail Station, about 1030 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Highcliffe St Mark Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 27 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, other theft and violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (223).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Highcliffe St Mark Primary School issued 8 suspensions, 1.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Highcliffe St Mark Primary School are Highcliffe School (0.8 miles) and The Arnewood School (1.8 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); 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; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils are happy and safe. They live up to the school's high expectations of their behaviour. Pupils know that any unkind words or actions will not be tolerated. They follow routines willingly and need only the occasional reminder to behave in class. As a result, the school has a calm atmosphere, and there is minimal disruption to learning.
The school has raised its expectations of the breadth and depth of pupils' learning. It has started to make improvements to the quality of education. However, many positive changes are recent and need time to embed.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
As much of the curriculum is new, pupils lack depth in their subject knowledge and skills. For example, in some subjects, pupils recall some key facts, but cannot make connections between different aspects of a subject. While the curriculum is ambitious in its aims, it is not currently having the impact in all areas that the school intends. This is reflected in pupils' outcomes in some subjects.
The school has started to make improvements. For example, it has now identified and ordered what pupils should learn in almost all subjects. In mathematics, for instance, pupils gain a secure knowledge of number in the Reception Year. However, older pupils do not always deepen their mathematical understanding. Across the curriculum, the quality of pupils' written work is not high enough.
From Ofsted's June 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its June 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Early years.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Leadership & management (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
6.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 78% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 75% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 75% to 67% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.6
Avg class size
26.9
Infant (KS1)
32.7
KS2
10
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Highcliffe St Mark Primary School
Visit for Year 4
17 Sep 2026
Open Days
14 Sep 2026
Open Day 11th June
14 May 2026
Foundation Spring Discovery Day
16 Apr 2026
Have a go heroes
16 Feb 2026
“We’re drawn to art!”
29 Jan 2026
From Highcliffe St Mark Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Highcliffe St Mark Primary School
Term dates
Highcliffe St Mark Primary School is a foundation school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Highcliffe St Mark Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Highcliffe St Mark Primary School is in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; for families living there:
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole's school travel policy: Home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 2 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
2 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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is 24 (the median across 117 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
Your chances of a place at Highcliffe St Mark Primary School
Will you get a place at Highcliffe St Mark Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Highcliffe St Mark Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Highcliffe St Mark Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Highcliffe St Mark Primary School.
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Highcliffe St Mark Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Highcliffe St Mark Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 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
96%
Near capacity
607 pupils
630 places
23 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Christchurch
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Christchurch
Across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council
Places available
3,809
Applications
3,148
Got 1st preference
92.2%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
43
SEN Support
22
EHC Plans
10.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
651
Total Pupils
329
Boys
322
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
30
Teachers
21.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,228
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,981
Per pupil
£3217k
Total funding
£68k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.2%
Overall absence
12.1%
Persistent absence
546
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Highcliffe St Mark Primary School
Questions parents ask about Highcliffe St Mark Primary School
What are SATs results like at Highcliffe St Mark Primary School?
Of the pupils at Highcliffe St Mark Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 78% reached the expected standard in reading and 75% did so in maths.
What is Highcliffe St Mark Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Highcliffe St Mark Primary School was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2013 it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Highcliffe St Mark Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Highcliffe St Mark Primary School is oversubscribed, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Highcliffe St Mark Primary School?
Highcliffe St Mark Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Highcliffe St Mark Primary School?
Classes at Highcliffe St Mark Primary School average 28.6 pupils (2025/26). 3 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Highcliffe St Mark Primary School?
Highcliffe St Mark Primary School has around 651 pupils on roll. 6% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Highcliffe St Mark Primary School?
5.2% of sessions were missed at Highcliffe St Mark Primary School in 2024/25. 12.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Highcliffe St Mark Primary School?
Apply through Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole's coordinated admissions process, naming Highcliffe St Mark Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Highcliffe St Mark Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 2 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 2 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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is 24 (the median across 117 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Highcliffe St Mark Primary School?
Highcliffe St Mark Primary School is at Greenways, Highcliffe, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 5AZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)