Avonbourne Boys' Academy
Academy converter · 846 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.3
Academy converter
Highcliffe School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,519of 1,461 places
- Free school meals
- 15.8%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 254
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 28 June 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Highcliffe School (URN 113906, until 1 June 2011).
What the data says
Of the 236 pupils who finished Year 11 at Highcliffe School in 2023, 42% stayed on in Highcliffe School’s own sixth form (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole average 45%), 41% went to a further education college and 6% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 126 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 44% went to university (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 31%, England 37%), and 28% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Food Preparation and Nutrition is unusually popular at GCSE: 21% of the year group took it, against 8% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 47.0 against 46.1 across England and 50.5 in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, with 46% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Highcliffe School | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 236 | 3,857 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 86% | 87% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 42% | 45% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 2% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 41% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 4% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 2% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Highcliffe School | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 126 | 3,144 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 88% | 79% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 44% | 31% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 28% | 23% | 19% |
| Further education | 4% | 5% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 9% | 7% |
| Employment | 33% | 33% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 7% | 16% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Highcliffe School | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 47.0 | 50.5 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 46% | 57% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 75% | 75% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 46% | 44% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.26 | 4.54 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 10% | 21% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 35.1 | 36.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 48.4 | 54.3 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 2% | 16% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 252 | 99% | 88% | 19% | 22% | 86% |
| English Language | 252 | 99% | 89% | 14% | 20% | 75% |
| English Literature | 244 | 96% | 86% | 11% | 21% | 71% |
| Combined Science | 195 | 77% | 65% | 7% | 9% | 64% |
| Geography | 135 | 53% | 41% | 16% | 25% | 73% |
| History | 132 | 52% | 41% | 23% | 26% | 70% |
| Business Studies | 96 | 38% | 18% | 3% | 20% | 52% |
| Spanish | 80 | 31% | 19% | 10% | 27% | 61% |
| Physics | 54 | 21% | 23% | 31% | 46% | 94% |
| Biology | 54 | 21% | 23% | 26% | 45% | 91% |
| Chemistry | 54 | 21% | 23% | 41% | 47% | 94% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 54 | 21% | 8% | 7% | 21% | 63% |
| Fine Art | 46 | 18% | 9% | 22% | 28% | 87% |
| 3D Design | 42 | 17% | 2% | 0% | 16% | 33% |
| Media Studies | 41 | 16% | 4% | 12% | 20% | 76% |
| Graphic Communication | 41 | 16% | 1% | 22% | 23% | 71% |
| French | 36 | 14% | 18% | 22% | 29% | 75% |
| Textiles | 34 | 13% | 2% | 15% | 27% | 82% |
| Citizenship Studies | 26 | 10% | 3% | 15% | 19% | 81% |
| Computer Science | 24 | 9% | 13% | 0% | 30% | 67% |
| Religious Studies | 20 | 8% | 31% | 35% | 32% | 85% |
| Music | 20 | 8% | 5% | 40% | 33% | 90% |
| Applied Engineering | 19 | 7% | 0% | 0% | 18% | 53% |
| Physical Education | 18 | 7% | 11% | 50% | 24% | 94% |
| Drama | 16 | 6% | 7% | 25% | 27% | 94% |
| Art and Design | 14 | 6% | 7% | 0% | 24% | 43% |
| Polish | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports / Movement Science | 29 | 27% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Highcliffe School | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 246 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 107 | 1,548 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C+ | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 34.58 | 35.52 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B- | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 12% | 18% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 25 | 23% | 23% |
| Business Studies | 24 | 22% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 23 | 21% | 31% |
| Geography | 22 | 21% | 10% |
| Economics | 20 | 19% | 13% |
| History | 17 | 16% | 13% |
| Biology | 16 | 15% | 20% |
| Graphic Communication | 14 | 13% | 2% |
| Media Studies | 12 | 11% | 4% |
| Physics | 11 | 10% | 12% |
| English Language and Literature | 11 | 10% | 2% |
| Sociology | 10 | 9% | 13% |
| Computer Science | 9 | 8% | 5% |
| Politics | 8 | 7% | 6% |
| 3D Design | 8 | 7% | 1% |
| Fine Art | 8 | 7% | 3% |
| Chemistry | 8 | 7% | 17% |
| Religious Studies | 7 | 7% | 4% |
| English Literature | 7 | 7% | 11% |
| Spanish | 6 | 6% | 2% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| Film Studies | — | — | 2% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Physical Education | — | — | 3% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 12 | 11% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 9 | 8% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 8 | 7% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 6 | 6% | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Psychology | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Chemistry | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Chemistry | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Avonbourne Girls Academy
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86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 53.0
Bournemouth School
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98% stayed in education · Attainment 8 74.2
Bournemouth School for Girls
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98% stayed in education · Attainment 8 72.2
Corfe Hills School
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92% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.7
Glenmoor Academy
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88% stayed in education · Attainment 8 60.7
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.