Shaftesbury School Catchment Area
Shaftesbury School is an academy converter secondary school in Shaftesbury, Dorset , serving pupils aged 11-18, with 864 pupils, and a capacity of 1283 places. Find catchment area guidance, admissions policy details and nearby secondary schools below.
11-18
Age range
864
Pupils
1,283
Capacity
67%
Fill rate
Good
Ofsted 2023
Shaftesbury School Catchment Area Information
What is the catchment area for Shaftesbury School?
The catchment area for Shaftesbury School is the geographic zone Dorset uses to prioritise admissions when this secondary school receives more applications than it has places. Children living inside the boundary are ranked higher under the oversubscription criteria, after looked-after children and, in most years, faith-based criteria. Dorset publishes the exact boundary and the last distance offered before each admissions cycle, and the boundary can change year to year.
Admission to Shaftesbury School is managed by Dorset and typically includes both faith criteria and catchment area proximity. The weighting given to each criterion depends on the school's published oversubscription policy, which is reviewed annually.
The official admissions policy, including the catchment boundary map, is published by Dorset before each admissions cycle. Always verify your address with the council before submitting an application, as boundaries can change year to year.
Find Dorset catchment area documents →Shaftesbury School: 1283 places, 67% filled: places available
Shaftesbury School has a published admission number of 1283 places. 864 pupils were enrolled in the most recent data, giving a fill rate of 67%. At 67% full, the school currently has headroom below its 1283 place limit. Catchment distance criteria still apply when the school is oversubscribed, but at current demand levels, places have been available for applicants outside the immediate catchment area.
The fill-rate figure above reflects overall demand, but the school's intake also varies by community profile. 27.3% of pupils at Shaftesbury School are eligible for free school meals, broadly in line with the national average. This reflects a mixed catchment population across Dorset.
To check whether your home address falls within the historical catchment boundary, use the postcode search tool on this site.
Dorset publishes its full admissions policy, including oversubscription criteria, the previous year's last-distance figures, and the appeals timetable, on the council's official admissions page. Dorset Council school admissions (official) →
Shaftesbury School: School Information
- Full address
- Salisbury Road, Shaftesbury, SP7 8ER
- Local authority
- Dorset
- School type
- Academy converter
- Phase of education
- Secondary
- Age range
- 11-18 years
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Free school meals
- 27.3% of pupils
- DfE URN
- 140898
Other Church of England Schools in Dorset
Shaftesbury School shares its religious character with these Church of England schools across Dorset. Faith criteria typically sit alongside catchment distance in each school's admissions policy.
Cerne Abbas CofE VC First School Catchment Area
Voluntary controlled school · Dorchester
Maiden Newton, Greenford Church of England Primary School Catchment Area
Voluntary controlled school · Dorchester
Broadwindsor Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Catchment Area
Voluntary controlled school · Beaminster
Wyke Regis Church of England Junior School Catchment Area
Voluntary controlled school · Weymouth
Nearest secondary schools by distance
These are the secondary schools closest to Shaftesbury School by straight-line distance, including ones across a town or council boundary. Distance is not the same as being in catchment: always check each school's own admissions policy for its actual boundary.
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Frequently Asked Questions: Shaftesbury School
What is the catchment area for Shaftesbury School? ▾
The catchment area for Shaftesbury School is the geographic zone Dorset uses to prioritise admissions when this secondary school receives more applications than it has places. Children living inside the boundary are ranked higher under the oversubscription criteria, after looked-after children and, in most years, faith-based criteria. Dorset publishes the exact boundary and the last distance offered before each admissions cycle, and the boundary can change year to year.
Is Shaftesbury School oversubscribed? ▾
Shaftesbury School has a capacity of 1283 places and currently has 864 pupils enrolled. For the most up-to-date data, check with Dorset.
What is the admissions policy for Shaftesbury School? ▾
Shaftesbury School uses both faith criteria and catchment area proximity in its admissions policy. The weighting is reviewed annually and published by Dorset before each admissions cycle.
What age range does Shaftesbury School cover? ▾
Shaftesbury School is a secondary school in Shaftesbury, Dorset, serving pupils aged 11-18. For the latest information, visit the school's website or the DfE Get Information About Schools service.
What is the Ofsted rating for Shaftesbury School? ▾
Shaftesbury School was rated Good by Ofsted in 2023. Full inspection reports are available at reports.ofsted.gov.uk.