Winchelsea School
Winchelsea School is a council special school in Poole for boys and girls aged 4 to 19. It has 248 pupils and room for 250. About 35 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted visited in June 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.
Guernsey Road, Parkstone, Poole, BH12 4LL01202 746240winchelseaschool.co.ukMr Geoff Cherrill head teacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted visited on 16 June 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.
Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.
Earlier inspections (2)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 7 June 2022 | S5 Inspection | Good |
| 2 October 2019 | Ungraded | School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next |
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
31 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 31 | 19 | 13 | 15 | 7 | 11 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 0.1 | – | – | – | – | – | 50.8 | 46.8 |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 0% | – | – | – | – | – | 56% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 0% | – | – | – | – | – | 75% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 0.00 | – | – | – | – | – | 4.56 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 0% | – | – | – | – | – | 43% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 0.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 0.3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
1 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 1 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 8 | 9 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 64% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 11% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | – | 88.0 | – | – | – | – | 105.7 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | – | – | 96.0 | 97.0 | – | – | 104.9 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | – | 90.0 | – | – | – | – | 105.3 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -3.3 | – | -8.7 | -5.4 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -2.6 | – | -8.2 | -5.8 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | – | 0% | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | – | 0% | – | – | – | – | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
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.
Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, other needs, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, specific learning difficulties, visual impairment.
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 autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (132), language and communications needs (57), Moderate learning difficulty (32), Specific learning difficulty (8), emotional and mental health (6), Other difficulty or disability (4).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 248 | 235 | 238 | 219 | 201 | 177 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 38% | 44% | 45% | 47% | 47% | 50% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 13% | 14% | 11% | 11% | 9% | 8% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 9.6% | 9.0% | 9.9% | 7.7% | 4.9% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 6.3% | 7.1% | 7.6% | 6.0% | 3.5% | 4.3% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 3.2% | 1.9% | 2.3% | 1.7% | 1.4% | 1.3% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 27.4% | 31.0% | 30.1% | 20.3% | 9.4% | 9.2% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 7.7 | 0.8 | 10.5 | 3.0 | 10.2 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 13 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 77% | 87% | 100% | 100% |
| Education | 77% | 87% | 100% | 100% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 15% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manorside Academy | Academy | 310 m | 413 | No overall grade 2025 | 41 | Compare |
| The Lion Works School | Independent | 520 m | 55 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| St Aldhelm's Academy | Academy | 610 m | 808 | Report card 2026 | 3 | Compare |
| The Quay School | Academy alternative provision converter | 940 m | 69 | No overall grade 2025 | – | Compare |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Poole | Academy | 0.8 miles | 370 | Good 2022 | 45 | Compare |
| Heathlands Primary Academy | Academy | 1.0 miles | 164 | Good 2022 | 5 | Compare |
| Langside School | Non-maintained special | 1.0 miles | 32 | Good 2020 | – | Compare |
| Livingstone Road Junior School | Academy | 1.0 miles | 204 | Report card 2026 | 8 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Winchelsea School a good school?
Winchelsea School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted's report card from June 2026 rated its teaching as as expected.
What is Winchelsea School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 16 June 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as strong, leadership as strong.
How good are Winchelsea School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 0% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 0.1, against 46.8 for England.
How many pupils does Winchelsea School have?
248 pupils aged 4 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 250 places, so it is 99% full.
What is attendance like at Winchelsea School?
Pupils were in school 90.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 27% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Winchelsea School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, other needs, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, specific learning difficulties, visual impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Guernsey Road, Parkstone, Poole, BH12 4LL
- Telephone
- 01202 746240
- Website
- www.winchelseaschool.co.uk
- Head Teacher
- Mr Geoff Cherrill
- Type of school
- Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 4-19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Local authority
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Ward
- Alderney & Bourne Valley
- Constituency
- Bournemouth West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 113955 · LAESTAB 8397005 · UKPRN 10015851
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.