Highcliffe School

About Highcliffe School

Highcliffe School is a large secondary in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole that is clearly in demand. With 1,565 pupils on roll against a capacity of 1,461, the school is operating above its official limit, and the admissions data for the 2025/26 intake confirms that pressure: 463 applications were received for 252 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.84. Of those, 249 families put it as their first preference, and 248 first-preference offers were made, meaning almost every family who wanted it most got a place. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 14.6%, which is slightly above the national average for secondary schools and suggests a genuinely mixed intake. The school is non-denominational and co-educational, with a sixth form attached, and is led by headteacher Patrick Earnshaw. It was last inspected by Ofsted in June 2023, when it was judged to remain Good overall, a rating it has held consistently across its previous graded inspection in 2017 and the one before that in 2013.

Academically, Highcliffe’s results sit around the middle of the pack. At Key Stage 4, the school’s Progress 8 score is -0.05, which is classed as Average and places it 16th out of 21 schools in the local authority, with the LA average Progress 8 being a stronger 0.17. The Attainment 8 score is 50.6, and 54.9% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths, compared with 76.6% at the standard 4+ threshold. The EBacc entry rate is 49.4%, with 24.3% achieving the full EBacc at grade 5 or above. In the sixth form, the picture is similar: the average A-level grade per entry is C+, with a points-per-entry score of 34.86 and a value-added score of 0.09, again rated Average. Nationally, the school ranks in the 52nd percentile for Progress 8, meaning it sits almost exactly in the middle of all schools in England. It is worth noting that the school’s Progress 8 in the EBacc subjects is positive at +0.17, suggesting stronger performance in that specific bucket.

The school offers a solid range of facilities, including a swimming pool, theatre, sports hall, tennis courts, and a dedicated sixth form centre, plus clubs covering everything from the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to Young Enterprise and a newspaper. SEND provision is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. For families weighing up options in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area, Highcliffe is a genuinely comprehensive school that is oversubscribed but still accessible to first-preference applicants. It suits families who want a large, mixed, non-selective state school with a sixth form and a decent spread of extracurriculars, and who are comfortable with results that are broadly in line with the national average rather than pushing into the top tier of local performers.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Highcliffe School

Helpful Guides for Parents