SCHOOL PROFILE

The Cornerstone Academy

Secondary Academy sponsor led URN 139258
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 900 Published school capacity
Capacity used 71.7% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

19 October 2022
Latest published outcome School remains Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy sponsor led
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Trust UNITED LEARNING TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 645 645 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 347 53.8% of pupils
Male pupils 298 46.2% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

39.5%
14.7 pts above England
School 39.5%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 19.5%
South West 20.1%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

18.1%
2.2 pts below England
School 18.1%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 16.9%
South West 10.7%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

11.0%
10.0 pts above England
School 11.0%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 4.1%
South West 1.5%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
75.2%
485
Any other White background
7.6%
49
African
5.0%
32
Any other Asian background
2.3%
15
Any other Mixed background
2.2%
14
Any other ethnic group
2.0%
13
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 25.3% 163 of 645 pupils
4.4 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 25.3%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 21.4%
South West 21.7%
England 20.8%
SEN support 20.8% 134 pupils
England 14.8% 6.0 pts above
EHC plans 4.5% 29 pupils
England 6.0% 1.5 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 67
Specific learning difficulty 29
Autistic spectrum disorder 24
Moderate learning difficulty 17
Speech, language & communication 16
Physical disability 4

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

41.0 1.8 pts above England
School 41.0
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 40.0
South West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 37.3% England 36.0% 1.3 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 59.8% England 51.4% 8.4 pts above England
EBacc entry 22.5% England 30.6% 8.1 pts below England
EBacc average point score 3.73 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.03 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

12.24%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

6.03 pts higher than England
School 12.24%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 6.58%
South West 6.20%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

34.75%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

18.93 pts higher than England
School 34.75%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 16.30%
South West 15.08%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

9.02%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

7.21 pts higher than England
School 9.02%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 2.12%
South West 1.90%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

71.7% 20.7 pts below England
The Cornerstone Academy
71.7%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
88.7%
South West
88.7%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information