School Chooser

Victoria Education Centre

Special · ages 3-19MixedNon-maintained special133 pupilsSixth formNurseryPooleBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Attendance83.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families27%About the same as most schools in England
PlacesFull133 pupils, 130 places
Pupils on roll133Census January 2026

Victoria Education Centre is a non-maintained special school in Poole for boys and girls aged 3 to 19. It has 133 pupils, 3 more than it has places for. About 26 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England.

12 Lindsay Road, Branksome Park, Poole, BH13 6AS01202 763697victoria.poole.sch.ukMr Olu Odunsi headteacherAll details

Ofsted

Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

5 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE scoreOfficial name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-1.58In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2022/23, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2024
2018: 2.92.920182019: 1.91.920192022: 0.90.920222023: 0.90.920232024: 0.30.32024
Since 2018: -2.6
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018Bournemouth, Christchurch and PooleEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 115681079
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 80.30.90.91.92.950.846.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-1.58-1.69
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%0%56%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%0%75%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.000.000.000.090.094.564.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%0%43%41%

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll133Census January 2026
Places130102% full
Pupils from low-income families26%27% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English20%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support1%1 pupil with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan99%132 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)26%£38,150 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls90 / 43
White British pupils79%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with physical disability, speech, language and communication.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole with physical disability provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Physical disability (35), Autistic spectrum disorder (28), Moderate learning difficulty (17), Severe learning difficulty (15), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (9), Specific learning difficulty (9).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll1331281101018676
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals26%25%25%22%22%24%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language20%17%13%12%7%3%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support1%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans99%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 83.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance83.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school50.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission3.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence16.9%16.1%16.0%15.4%11.0%13.7%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence13.6%12.3%12.0%13.4%10.9%12.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence3.3%3.9%4.0%2.0%0.1%1.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence50.0%53.3%48.7%43.5%28.3%50.0%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 8 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training100%and stayed there for at least six months

Among pupils from low-income families it was 100%, compared with – for everyone else.

Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2019/20 leavers2018/19 leavers
Still in education, work or training100%100%100%100%
Education100%100%100%100%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%0%0%0%
Not in education, work or training0%0%0%0%

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m37812 months to June 2026, mostly shoplifting
Local crime rate85 per 1,000 people6% lower than the England average
Typical house price£335,000Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Nearest bus stop40 mThe Victoria School, 14 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Heatherlands Primary SchoolAcademy940 m616Good 202229Compare
Bishop Aldhelm's Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles603Report card 202663Compare
Courthill Infant SchoolAcademy0.7 miles354Good 202362Compare
Talbot Heath SchoolIndependent0.9 miles427Not inspectedCompare
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, PooleAcademy0.9 miles370Good 202245Compare
Bournemouth Collegiate Preparatory SchoolIndependent0.9 miles238Not inspectedCompare
The Quay SchoolAcademy alternative provision converter1.1 miles69No overall grade 2025Compare
Langside SchoolNon-maintained special1.2 miles32Good 2020Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Victoria Education Centre a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Victoria Education Centre yet.

How many pupils does Victoria Education Centre have?

133 pupils aged 3 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 130 places, so it is 102% full.

What is attendance like at Victoria Education Centre?

Pupils were in school 83.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 50% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Victoria Education Centre have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for physical disability, speech, language and communication. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Victoria Education Centre have a sixth form?

Yes.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
12 Lindsay Road, Branksome Park, Poole, BH13 6AS
Telephone
01202 763697
Website
www.victoria.poole.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mr Olu Odunsi
Type of school
Non-maintained special school (Non-maintained special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 3-19, with nursery, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Ward
Canford Cliffs
Constituency
Poole
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
113954 · LAESTAB 8397004 · UKPRN 10016047

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from