1
Allenbourn Middle School
Wimborne • Dorset • BH21 1PL
1
18 Jul 2012
Top 10 Middle deemed secondary schools in Dorset
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2020)
This Top 10 showcases middle deemed secondary schools in the district of Dorset. It’s built from the latest graded Ofsted inspections. We rank Outstanding (grade 1) above Good (grade 2), then prioritise newer inspections. As tie-breakers, we consider the “Quality of education” sub-judgement (where available), then %FSM and school size.
Total middle deemed secondary schools
10
Outstanding
1
Good
8
Median inspection year
2020
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 10% · G: 80% · RI: 10% · I: 0%
2
Lockyer's Middle School
Wimborne • Dorset • BH21 3HQ
2
20 Nov 2022
3
St Osmund's Church of England Middle School
Dorchester • Dorset • DT1 2DZ
2
21 Sep 2022
4
Emmanuel Church of England Middle School
Verwood • BH31 6JF
2
23 Jun 2022
5
West Moors Middle School
Ferndown • Dorset • BH22 0DA
2
9 Mar 2022
6
St Mary's Church of England Middle School, Puddletown
Dorchester • Dorset • DT2 8SA
2
8 Oct 2019
7
Cranborne Middle School
Wimborne • Dorset • BH21 5RP
2
1 Jul 2019
8
St Michael's Church of England Middle School, Colehill
Wimborne • Dorset • BH21 7AB
2
26 Feb 2018
9
Ferndown Middle School
Ferndown • Dorset • BH22 9UP
2
1 Feb 2018
10
Dorchester Middle School
Dorchester • Dorset • DT1 2HS
3
1 Aug 2023
How we rank these schools
- Headline Ofsted grade: Outstanding (1) outranks Good (2), then RI (3), then Inadequate (4).
- More recent graded inspection dates rank higher.
- Where available, we use the Quality of education sub-judgement as a tie-breaker.
- Lower free school meals (%) may break remaining ties.
- Larger roll (pupil count) is a final tie-breaker.
Only the ten highest-ranked schools are shown; we also list “near misses” just below.
About Ofsted grades
- Outstanding (1): Highest judgement across key areas.
- Good (2): Strong effectiveness; meets standards consistently.
- Requires improvement (3): Not yet good; clear areas to improve.
- Inadequate (4): Significant weaknesses found.
Ungraded Section 8 visits check whether the previous graded judgement still stands, but they don’t replace it.
Data freshness & coverage
We refresh inspections and school snapshots regularly. If a school was inspected very recently, its report may not yet appear here.
Top-10 pages only appear for areas with at least 10 middle deemed secondary schools that have a graded Ofsted inspection.