Selective independent secondary school in Wimborne, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Canford School
Canford Magna, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 3AD
Ofsted
Ofsted has not published an inspection outcome for this school.
This is usual for schools that have opened recently, and for most independent schools, which are inspected by ISI or another approved body rather than Ofsted.
Exam results
Independent schools are not comparable in the performance tables. Most enter pupils for international GCSEs, which are not approved qualifications for these measures, so any Attainment 8 figure would be calculated from a fraction of what pupils actually sit. We do not publish one rather than publish a misleading number.
- Average A level grade (2024/25)
- A-
A level entries are recorded consistently across school types, so this figure is shown.
Pupils
- Pupils on roll
- 650
- Places
- 680
- How full
- Nearly full — 650 of 680 places taken
- Girls / boys
- 278 / 372
Free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN figures come from the state school census, which independent schools do not report into. Their records return structural zeros rather than measurements, so they are not shown here.
The neighbourhood around the school
Census 2021 figures for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 001A, the statistical neighbourhood the school sits in — roughly 1,500 residents. It describes the area, not the pupils, who may travel in from further away.
- Adults with a degree
- 37%
- Adults with no qualifications
- 12%
- Households owning their home
- 89%
- Households in social housing
- 1%
- Households with no car
- 5%
- Adults economically inactive
- 53%
England 33.8%
England 18.3%
England 62.7%
England 17%
England 21.9%
England 39.9%
School details
- Type
- Other independent school
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- Ages 13–18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Selective (entrance test)
- Religious character
- Anglican/Church of England
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Nursery
- No
- Boarding
- Boarding school
- Headteacher
- Headmaster: Christopher Wheeler
- Local authority
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Ward
- Bearwood & Merley
- Constituency
- Mid Dorset and North Poole
- URN
- 113922
The unique reference number used in all official school data.
Nearest secondary schools
| School | Ofsted | Attainment 8 | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Michael's Church of England Middle School, ColehillAcademy converter | Good 2024 | — | 1.5 mi |
| Allenbourn Middle SchoolAcademy converter | No grade | — | 1.7 mi |
| LeAF StudioStudio schools | No grade | 42.4 | 2.2 mi |
| Broadstone Middle SchoolAcademy sponsor led | No grade | — | 2.2 mi |
| Oak AcademyAcademy converter | No grade | 32.5 | 2.4 mi |
| Queen Elizabeth's SchoolAcademy converter | Requires improvement 2023 | 43.3 | 2.4 mi |
| Ferndown Upper SchoolCommunity school | No grade | 45.7 | 2.5 mi |
| Ferndown Middle SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2023 | — | 2.5 mi |
Where these figures come from
- School details, address and pupil numbers — Get Information About Schools, the DfE register, as at 14 August 2026.
- Exam results — DfE performance tables, 2024/25.
- Free school meals, EAL and SEN — school census, 2024/25.
- Ofsted — Ofsted management information, latest inspections as at 30 June 2026.
- Neighbourhood figures — ONS Census 2021, lower layer super output area.
All published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. If something here looks wrong, the school's own website is the authority on admissions and open days.