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Schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

109 open schools · Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and admission criteria · best primary schools · best secondary schools

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has 102 state schools: 66 primary, 21 secondary, 2 all-through. Between them they teach around 52,700 pupils. 72 have enough published data for a score, averaging 5.5 out of 10, and 13 score 8 or above.

27 have a sixth form. 19 take children from age three or under. 25 have a religious character, which usually means the school sets its own admissions criteria rather than the council's. 4 are selective and set an entrance test. How the score works.

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Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole covers several towns — jump straight to the schools in yours.

Bournemouth 49 schools Christchurch 18 schools Poole 43 schools Wimborne 25 schools
Ad Astra Infant School Poole · Good Avonbourne Boys' Academy Bournemouth · Outstanding Avonbourne Girls Academy Bournemouth · Not judged Avonwood Primary School Bournemouth · Outstanding Baden-Powell and St Peter's Church of England Junior School Poole · Good Bayside Academy POOLE · Good Bearwood Primary and Nursery School Bournemouth · Good Bethany Church of England Junior School Bournemouth · Good Bishop Aldhelm's Church of England Primary School Poole · Good Bournemouth Collegiate Preparatory School Poole Bournemouth Collegiate School Bournemouth Bournemouth School Bournemouth · Outstanding · Grammar Bournemouth School for Girls Bournemouth · Outstanding · Grammar Broadstone First School Broadstone · Good Broadstone Middle School Broadstone · Good Burton Church of England Primary School Christchurch · Requires improvement Cambian Wing College Bournemouth · Good Canford Heath Infant School Poole · Outstanding Canford Heath Junior School Poole · Good Canford School Wimborne Christ The King Catholic Primary School Bournemouth · Not judged Christchurch Infant School Christchurch · Outstanding Christchurch Junior School Christchurch · Good Corfe Hills School Broadstone · Good Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School Bournemouth · Good Courthill Infant School Poole · Good Elm Academy Bournemouth · Not judged Futures Autism Unlimited Christchurch Glenmoor Academy Bournemouth · Outstanding Hamworthy Park Junior School Poole · Not judged Haymoor Junior School Poole · Good Heatherlands Primary School Poole · Good Heathlands Primary Academy Bournemouth · Good Highcliffe School Christchurch · Good Highcliffe St Mark Primary School Christchurch · Requires improvement Hill View Primary Academy Bournemouth · Good Hillbourne Primary School Poole · Not judged Jewell Academy Bournemouth Bournemouth · Not judged King's Park Academy Bournemouth · Good Kings Bournemouth Bournemouth Kingsleigh Primary School Bournemouth · Not judged Kinson Academy Bournemouth · Good Langside School Poole · Good LeAF Studio Bournemouth · Not judged Lilliput Church of England Infant School Poole · Good Linwood School Bournemouth · Not judged Livingstone Academy Bournemouth Bournemouth · Good Livingstone Road Infant School Poole · Good Livingstone Road Junior School Poole · Good Longfleet Church of England Primary School Poole · Good Longspee Academy Poole · Good Magna Academy Poole · Good Malmesbury Park Primary School Bournemouth · Good Manorside Academy Poole · Not judged Merley First School Wimborne · Good Montacute School Poole · Good Moordown St John's Church of England Primary School Bournemouth · Good Mudeford Community Infants' School Christchurch · Good Mudeford Junior School Christchurch · Good Muscliff Primary School Bournemouth · Good Oak Academy Bournemouth · Not judged Oakdale Junior School Poole · Not judged Ocean Academy Poole Poole · Good Old Town Infant School and Nursery Poole · Good Park School Bournemouth Parkstone Grammar School Poole · Not judged · Grammar Pokesdown Community Primary School Bournemouth · Good Poole Grammar School Poole · Not judged · Grammar Poole High School Poole · Good Portfield School Christchurch · Good Queen's Park Academy Bournemouth · Not judged Queen's Park Infant Academy Bournemouth · Good Somerford Primary School Christchurch · Good South West Regional Assessment Centre Wimborne Springdale First School Broadstone · Not judged St Aldhelm's Academy Poole · Good St Clement's and St John's Church of England Infant School Bournemouth · Good St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole Poole · Good St James' Church of England Primary Academy Bournemouth · Good St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch Christchurch · Good St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Poole Poole · Good St Katharine's Church of England Primary School Bournemouth · Outstanding St Luke's Church of England Primary School Bournemouth · Requires improvement St Mark's Church of England Primary School Bournemouth · Good St Martin's School Bournemouth St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Poole Poole · Good St Michael's Church of England Primary School Bournemouth · Not judged St Peter's Catholic Comprehensive School Bournemouth · Good St. Walburga's Catholic Primary School Bournemouth · Good Stanley Green Infant Academy Poole · Good Stourfield Infant School Bournemouth · Good Stourfield Junior School Bournemouth · Good Talbot Heath School Bournemouth Talbot Primary School Poole · Good The Bishop of Winchester Academy Bournemouth · Good The Bourne Academy Bournemouth · Good The Bournemouth and Poole College Poole · Good The Cornerstone Academy Poole · Good The Epiphany School Bournemouth · Good The Grange School Christchurch · Good The Priory Church of England Primary School Christchurch · Good Tregonwell Academy Bournemouth · Outstanding Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School Poole · Good Twynham Primary School Christchurch · Good Twynham School Christchurch · Good Victoria Education Centre Poole · Good Winchelsea School Poole · Good Winton Academy Bournemouth · Outstanding Winton Primary School Bournemouth · Good

Undersubscribed schools rated Good or Outstanding

These schools didn't fill on first preference in the latest admissions year, despite an Ofsted rating of Good or Outstanding — worth a look if you're chasing the same handful of famous names everyone else applies to.

St Aldhelm's Academy Good · ×0.46 1st prefs/place (2026/27) The Bishop of Winchester Academy Good · ×0.55 1st prefs/place (2026/27) The Priory Church of England Primary School Good · ×0.67 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Broadstone Middle School Good · ×0.7 1st prefs/place (2024/25) St James' Church of England Primary Academy Good · ×0.7 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Stanley Green Infant Academy Good · ×0.78 1st prefs/place (2026/27) King's Park Academy Good · ×0.8 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Broadstone First School Good · ×0.83 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Stourfield Infant School Good · ×0.84 1st prefs/place (2026/27) The Cornerstone Academy Good · ×0.84 1st prefs/place (2026/27)

How places are allocated in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Primary schools: LA publishes a dedicated 'School catchment areas' page; only 13 of ~104 schools follow the LA default (rest are academies/VA, may differ). (source)

Most schools use the local authority's default scheme rather than a school-specific catchment map — see each school's page for its own designated/catchment area where one is published.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole entrance test format

One shared set of selection tests for all four BCP consortium grammar schools (Bournemouth School, Bournemouth School for Girls, Parkstone Grammar School, Poole Grammar School), taken once at the consortium school where you registered: 1. Mathematics (about 50 minutes) — Key Stage 2 curriculum topics. 2. English (about 45 minutes) — comprehension, vocabulary and punctuation. 3. Verbal Reasoning (about 50 minutes). Papers are multiple-choice and age-standardised; the test may only be taken once per admissions round, and the single result is used by every consortium school you apply to. Registration runs later than most areas (historically closing at 12 noon in early September of Year 6, test in late September, results by email in mid-October before the 31 October application deadline).

Key dates

Entry yearEventDate
Sept 2028 Application deadline 2027-10-31
Sept 2028 Primary application deadline 2028-01-15
Sept 2028 Offer day 2028-03-01
Sept 2028 Primary offer day 2028-04-17
Sept 2027 Registration closes 2026-09-04 (passed)
Sept 2027 Test date 2026-09-26
Sept 2027 Results released 2026-10-16
Sept 2027 Application deadline 2026-10-31
Sept 2027 Primary application deadline 2027-01-15
Sept 2027 Offer day 2027-03-01
Sept 2027 Primary offer day 2027-04-16
Sept 2026 Test date 2025-09-21 (passed)
Sept 2026 Application deadline 2025-10-31 (passed)
Sept 2026 Primary application deadline 2026-01-15 (passed)
Sept 2026 Offer day 2026-03-01 (passed)
Sept 2026 Primary offer day 2026-04-16 (passed)

Out-of-area applications

The four grammar schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (Bournemouth School, Bournemouth School for Girls, Parkstone Grammar School, Poole Grammar School) form a consortium with ONE shared set of selection tests — register with any one consortium school, sit the test there, and the result can be considered by all four. Children living outside the BCP Council area can register and sit the test; if you live elsewhere, your home LA passes your expression of interest to BCP Council, and you apply via your home LA's Common Application Form by 31 October (12 noon). Registration historically closes at 12 noon in early September of Year 6 (later than most areas), with the test in late September. Criteria impact: there are no formal catchment areas, but the schools' oversubscription criteria prioritise local children — e.g. Poole Grammar gives priority to boys in the Historic Borough of Poole/Poole postcodes — so distance matters when schools are oversubscribed.

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