Ferndown Upper School
One in three sixth-formers go on to university — below the England rate.
of sixth-form leavers started university · Dorset 27% · England 37% · DfE destination measures, students who left in 2023
- Ofsted
- Report card
- Places
- —
- Pupils
- 1,134
- Free school meals
- 20.9%
Ofsted: Inspected 3 March 2026 · report. Places: the last distance at which places were offered is not on file (it comes from Dorset’s allocation statistics). Pupils: of 1,146 places, including the sixth form. Free school meals: pupils eligible, a measure of family income.
Where do pupils go at 16?
DfE Key Stage 4 destination measures · 225 pupils who left Year 11 in 2023
Of the 225 pupils who finished Year 11 at Ferndown Upper School in 2023, 61% stayed on in Ferndown Upper School’s own sixth form (Dorset average 43%), 25% went to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.
Stayed in education — counted only if the pupil was still there for two terms of the next year; apprenticeships and jobs are counted the same way.
Full breakdown11
| Measure | Ferndown Upper School | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 225 | 3,781 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 92% | 94% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 88% | 85% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 61% | 43% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 25% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 5% | 3% |
| Employment | 4% | 4% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 6% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 2% | 3% |
Where do sixth-formers go at 18?
DfE 16–18 destination measures · 119 students who left in 2023
30% went to university (England 37%). 5% started an apprenticeship (England 7%). 36% went into work and 10% had no steady place a year on (England 28% and 16%).
Most selective universities — the third of UK universities whose entrants hold the highest grades; the share is of students who completed level 3 qualifications.
Full breakdown7
| Measure | Ferndown Upper School | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 119 | 2,810 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 82% | 80% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 30% | 27% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 17% | 19% | 19% |
| Further education | 2% | 5% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 7% | 7% |
| Employment | 36% | 40% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 10% | 15% | 16% |
Which universities did they go to?
Named universities — most schools do not publish this; the official DfE figures above only say how many went to university and how selective those universities were.
universities’ answers to sch.today’s Freedom of Information requests · request tracker
What universities’ own admissions data say3
For each entry year: how many of this school’s students applied, received an offer and enrolled. Counts under five are shown as “<5” to protect individuals. Applications exclude Clearing; enrolments are students who completed registration.
| University | Entry year | Applied | Offers | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Bristol | 2025 | 20 | 13 | 6 |
| 2024 | 19 | 8 | <5 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 5 | <5 |
A university’s enrolment count and a school’s own destinations list can differ: the school counts places accepted in the summer, the university counts students registered in the autumn.
How do GCSE results compare?
Attainment 8 — average GCSE points across eight subjects, English and maths counted twice; grade 5 in everything scores 50.
DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · 249 pupils in Year 11
45% got grade 5 or above in both English and maths (Dorset 41%, England 45%).
Grade 5 — a “strong pass”; grade 4 is a “standard pass”. Progress 8 is not published for 2025: this cohort had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020–21, so there is no baseline.
All GCSE measures10
| Measure | Ferndown Upper School | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 45.7 | 43.2 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 45% | 41% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 70% | 62% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 12% | 38% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.53 | 3.79 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 20% | 24% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 39.3 | 31.1 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 47.3 | 46.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 2% | 4% | 19% |
What do pupils study?
Mapped — the share of the 2,870 learning outcomes the Department for Education sets for these stages that the subjects taken here cover, weighted by how many pupils take each.
DfE subject entries 2025 · curriculum catalogue by sch.today
Chemistry stands out at GCSE — 94% of the year group took it, against 23% across England. At A level it is English Language: 27% of students (England 4%).
Fields of knowledge — twelve fields the curriculum catalogue sorts every learning outcome into; the bars show the GCSE and A level ring.
GCSE subjects28
Entries as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 243 | 98% | 89% | 13% | 20% | 72% |
| Mathematics | 242 | 97% | 88% | 21% | 22% | 79% |
| English Literature | 237 | 95% | 86% | 15% | 21% | 72% |
| Biology | 236 | 95% | 23% | 11% | 45% | 64% |
| Chemistry | 234 | 94% | 23% | 12% | 47% | 59% |
| Physics | 233 | 94% | 23% | 13% | 46% | 64% |
| Business Studies | 119 | 48% | 18% | 13% | 20% | 61% |
| Religious Studies | 89 | 36% | 31% | 18% | 32% | 63% |
| History | 70 | 28% | 41% | 21% | 26% | 67% |
| Design and Technology | 55 | 22% | 11% | 4% | 23% | 58% |
| Photography | 54 | 22% | 6% | 9% | 19% | 87% |
| Geography | 47 | 19% | 41% | 15% | 25% | 64% |
| Spanish | 41 | 16% | 19% | 27% | 27% | 66% |
| Sociology | 40 | 16% | 4% | 8% | 21% | 55% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 37 | 15% | 8% | 11% | 21% | 57% |
| Physical Education | 31 | 12% | 11% | 29% | 24% | 100% |
| Statistics | 29 | 12% | 5% | 62% | 20% | 100% |
| Fine Art | 28 | 11% | 9% | 14% | 28% | 79% |
| Textiles | 25 | 10% | 2% | 20% | 27% | 76% |
| Computer Science | 25 | 10% | 13% | 20% | 30% | 76% |
| Media Studies | 22 | 9% | 4% | 14% | 20% | 41% |
| French | 17 | 7% | 18% | 29% | 29% | 59% |
| Music | 10 | 4% | 5% | 10% | 33% | 70% |
| Drama | 10 | 4% | 7% | 10% | 27% | 90% |
| Combined Science | 5 | 2% | 65% | — | 9% | — |
| Art and Design | 1 | 0% | 7% | — | 24% | — |
| Citizenship Studies | 1 | 0% | 3% | — | 19% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications5
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Health | 51 | 45% | — |
| Multimedia | 47 | 42% | — |
| Health Studies | 41 | 36% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 18 | 16% | — |
| Health Studies | 1 | 1% | — |
A level subjects24
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 34 | 30% | 23% |
| Mathematics | 32 | 28% | 31% |
| English Language | 31 | 27% | 4% |
| Physics | 27 | 24% | 12% |
| Sociology | 15 | 13% | 13% |
| Fine Art | 13 | 12% | 3% |
| Biology | 13 | 12% | 20% |
| Product Design | 11 | 10% | 2% |
| Photography | 10 | 9% | 3% |
| Business Studies | 9 | 8% | 13% |
| Chemistry | 9 | 8% | 17% |
| History | 8 | 7% | 13% |
| Textiles | 8 | 7% | 1% |
| Further Mathematics | 8 | 7% | 5% |
| Computer Science | 7 | 6% | 5% |
| Geography | 7 | 6% | 10% |
| English Literature | 7 | 6% | 11% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| Religious Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Philosophy | — | — | 1% |
| Italian | — | — | 0% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses24
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 15 | 13% | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 11 | 10% | — |
| English Literature | GCE AS level (All) | 11 | 10% | — |
| Multimedia | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 9 | 8% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | 8 | 7% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Biology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| English Language | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| French | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Sociology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Biology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| English Language | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| English Literature | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| French | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Sociology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Tourism | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
A level results8
| Measure | Ferndown Upper School | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 313 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 113 | 1,518 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C+ | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 33.76 | 32.20 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 10% | 11% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
Fields of knowledge, all stages12
Ideas pupils meet most, weighted by the share of the cohort taking the subjects that teach them:
Coverage counts a subject’s outcomes in proportion to the share of the cohort entered for it; Combined Science counts as two thirds of the three separate sciences. Levels follow ISCED 2011 as UNESCO maps it for the UK: Key Stage 3 is ISCED 2; GCSE and A level are both ISCED 3. Methodology: about the data.
Which jobs use what’s taught here?
A match of what’s taught, not of entry requirements: the standards whose knowledge and skills share the most ideas with the GCSEs and A levels taken here, weighted by how many pupils take each subject.
Level 3 / Level 6 — England’s qualification levels: 3 is A level standard, 4–5 are higher apprenticeships, 6 is a bachelor’s degree.
Skills England apprenticeship standards (Open Government Licence v3.0) · ESCO occupations, © European Union, matched by sch.today · how the match works
More apprenticeships9
How do you get a place?
The last distance at which Ferndown Upper School offered Year 7 places is not yet on file; it comes from Dorset’s allocation statistics.
- 31 OctApply to Dorset in Year 6 for a Year 7 place
- 1 MarNational Offer Day
- Dec–FebYear 11: apply directly to the sixth form; most close applications in these months
Compare with nearby schools
More Dorset schools3
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.