St Mary's Church of England Middle School, Puddletown

About St Mary's Church of England Middle School, Puddletown

St Mary's Church of England Middle School in Puddletown holds a Good rating from Ofsted, and its most recent exam results for the 2023/24 academic year paint a picture of solid academic performance. The school's Attainment 8 score sits at 52.7, which is a useful benchmark for parents looking at how pupils perform across eight key GCSE subjects. More striking is the basics measure: 84.7% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths, a figure that drops to 68.2% when you look at the stronger grade 5 or above threshold. The school's EBacc average point score is 3.26, though it's worth noting that no pupils entered the EBacc combination of subjects, which suggests the school doesn't push that particular academic pathway. Progress 8 data is not available for this school, so it's harder to judge how much value it adds compared with other schools in Dorset.

At A-level, the school's sixth form performs well above expectations. The value added score is 0.21, with a confidence interval ranging from 0.02 to 0.4, meaning the school is securely above average in helping pupils progress from their starting points. The average points per entry is 43.3, which equates to a B+ grade, and the best three A-levels average out at a B+ as well, with 44.44 points. A third of pupils achieved AAB or higher in at least two facilitating subjects. For context, the local authority average Progress 8 score for all schools is -0.09, so St Mary's sixth form is clearly outperforming the typical Dorset school at this level. The school has a total of 48 pupils in its sixth form, which is a modest cohort but one that appears to be achieving strong results.

The school is a middle school catering for pupils aged 9 to 13, which is unusual and means families should plan for a transition to a different school at 13. It has capacity for 750 pupils but currently has 445 on roll, so it is not oversubscribed. Facilities are extensive and include a swimming pool, astro turf, tennis courts, a theatre, and a chapel, reflecting its Church of England foundation. There is also a sixth form centre, and the school offers boarding, which is rare for a state school. Clubs and activities are varied, with options like rowing, martial arts, Young Enterprise, and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. For families in Dorset looking for a middle school with strong A-level outcomes and a wide range of facilities, St Mary's is a practical choice, though the lack of EBacc entry and the middle school structure are important factors to weigh up.

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