Ringwood School Academy, Ringwood

Ofsted's report card from its 15 September 2026 inspection grades Ringwood School Academy 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 achieve highly positive outcomes in this school."

Curriculum and teaching - Strong standard. "Leaders have developed a curriculum that is ambitious, inclusive and engaging."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "This is a extremely inclusive school."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leaders are extremely ambitious."

Post-16 provision - Strong standard. "Leaders have developed an ambitious and vibrant post-16 provision."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "The majority of pupils attend school well."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have designed an engaging personal development programme that prepares pupils well for a diverse modern Britain."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that their strategic approach to improve the attendance of groups and individuals is carefully embedded, so that persistent absence reduces and attendance continues to improve"; "Leaders should continue to embed the personal development curriculum so that pupils' knowledge is consistently detailed and secure".

In 2026, pupils at Ringwood School Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 50.8, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.6 in Hampshire and 47 across England.

54% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Hampshire and 47% in England.

That is down from 56.2 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.35: 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 42.2, against 52.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.4 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Art and Design and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 240 families put Ringwood School Academy as their first choice and 298 named it as one of their preferences, for 243 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Ringwood School Academy are West Moors Middle School (4.4 miles, Good); and Emmanuel Church of England Middle School (4.6 miles, Good).

Ringwood School Academy is run by its own single-school academy trust.

Of the 258 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 27% to a further education college, 6% to an apprenticeship and 4% into work.

Of the 119 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 45% went on to university or other higher education, 4% to apprenticeships and 29% into work. 39% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

15.7% 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.

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

10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ringwood School (near), 140 metres away.

In 2024/25, Ringwood School Academy issued 242 suspensions, 14.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to Ringwood School Academy are Ringwood Church of England Infant School (0.2 miles), Ringwood Junior School (0.3 miles), Poulner Junior School (0.9 miles) and Poulner Infant School and Nursery (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.