The Thomas Hardye School, Dorchester

From the headteacher's welcome: "As headteacher, I know this is a school unlike any other. Our reputation for excellence is founded not just on our students' excellent academic results, but on our sense of community, our incredible extra-curricular offer and our focus on all aspects of students' development. We challenge all our students to excel."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, rugby, tennis, basketball, badminton, dance, drama, choir and orchestra.

In 2026, pupils at The Thomas Hardye School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 47.8, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.4 in Dorset and 47 across England.

51% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 39% in Dorset and 47% in England.

That is down from 49.8 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.3: 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 37, against 50.5 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 13.5 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 28 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.

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 The Thomas Hardye School are Dorchester Middle School (0.2 miles, Requires improvement); St Osmund's Church of England Middle School (1 mile, Good); Dorset Studio School (2.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 32); and Wey Valley Academy (4.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 38.9).

The Thomas Hardye School's 2026 results were higher than all 2 of them.

The Thomas Hardye School is one of 12 schools run by Wessex Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.

448 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Thomas Hardye School (as of September 2025): 82% would recommend the school, 85% say their child is happy there and 58% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (87%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (58%).

Of the 455 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 90% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 38% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 367 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 38% went on to university or other higher education, 6% to apprenticeships and 34% into work. 26% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

13.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 6.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The Thomas Hardye School has a resourced provision (10 places, 10 pupils on roll) and a SEN unit (10 places, 10 pupils on roll) for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability and moderate learning difficulties.

The nearest railway station is Dorchester West Rail Station, about 840 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).

7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Thomas Hardye School (w-bound), 80 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 129 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Dorset (25), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, The Thomas Hardye School issued 270 suspensions, 13.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 5 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The Thomas Hardye School are The Prince of Wales School (0.3 miles); Damers First School (0.6 miles); St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester (1.1 miles); and Manor Park Church of England First School (1.1 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.