Schools in Swanage
Dorset · 5 schools
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Dorset (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Dorset (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Schools in Swanage (5)
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Swanage
Primary · Ages 4-11 · BH19 1QE
Ofsted: Good (2022)KS2: 89% expected (2025) - Swanage St Mark's Church of England Primary School
Primary · Ages 4-11 · BH19 2PH
Ofsted: Good (2018)KS2: 57% expected (2025) - St George's Church of England Primary School, Langton Matravers
Primary · Ages 2-11 · BH19 3HB
KS2: 84% expected (2025)
By type:Primary schools in Swanage (4)Secondary schools in Swanage (1)
5
4 primary · 1 secondary
920
82% capacity used
2
0 outstanding · 2 good
1,117
197 spare places
Ofsted Ratings
Best Schools in Swanage
View the full league table - ranked by Ofsted, Progress 8, KS2 results and more
Best Schools in Dorset
Compare all schools across the county
Area Performance (2026)
Attainment 8
43.1
GCSE Eng+Maths
33.9%
School Capacity & Demand
Housing Growth Detected
217 new homes approved nearby. This could generate an estimated +54 primary and +39 secondary pupils.
Source: MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years)
Primary Schools
75% occupied · 186 spare places
Secondary Schools
97% occupied · 11 spare places
Questions parents ask about schools in Swanage
How many schools are there in Swanage?
Swanage has 5 open schools: 4 state primary and 1 state secondary or all-through.
Source: DfE Get Information About Schools
Are there any Outstanding schools in Swanage?
None of the 3 graded schools in Swanage currently holds an Outstanding rating. 3 are rated Good, so 100% are Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.
Source: Ofsted
Which primary schools in Swanage have the best SATs results?
Of the 4 primary schools in Swanage with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Swanage (90% in reading, 87% in maths); St George's Church of England Primary School, Langton Matravers (75% in reading, 92% in maths); and Swanage Primary School (63% in reading, 57% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, SwanageSt George's Church of England Primary School, Langton MatraversSwanage Primary School
Source: DfE school performance data
Are there grammar schools in Swanage?
No. None of the state secondary schools in Swanage selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.
Source: DfE Get Information About Schools
Do schools in Swanage have catchment areas?
Most state schools in Swanage have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Dorset allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.
How do I apply for a school place in Swanage?
Apply to Dorset through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.