School profile

Highcliffe St Mark Primary School

Primary · Foundation school · Christchurch, BH23 5AZ

Requires improvement

Map showing Highcliffe St Mark Primary School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#9,828 of 15,057

Worse than 65% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Highcliffe St Mark Primary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 11 Jun 2024

Ofsted rating
Requires improvement
Quality of education
Requires improvement
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Requires improvement
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeFoundation school
Ages3 to 11
Pupils651
GenderMixed
Religious characterChurch of England
Head teacherMrs Claire Barker
TrustChristchurch Learning Partnership and Church of England
Local authorityBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Opened01 Sept 2005
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 134987.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolBournemouth, Christchurch and PooleEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths58%, worse than England-63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.7%, similar to England-8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.106, similar to England-106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.104, similar to England-105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.106, similar to England-105
Expected standard in reading78%, similar to England-76%
Expected standard in writing67%, worse than England-73%
Expected standard in maths75%, similar to England-75%
Pupils taking tests95--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils651
Girls322
Boys329
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.6.1%
First language not English2.9%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.630
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.614
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.2.5%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.43
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.22
Average class size28.6

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
91.2%
Other White
2.6%
White and Asian
1.1%
White and Black African
0.9%
Other ethnic group
0.9%
Other mixed
0.8%
Other Asian
0.5%
White and Black Caribbean
0.3%
African
0.3%
Indian
0.2%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher24.6
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.11.6
Teachers (FTE)25.92
Teaching assistants (FTE)28.02
Support staff (FTE)40.46
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2525.8
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2521.3
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/254.5

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.58
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.117
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.68
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.57
Applications from another local authority (Reception)15

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolBournemouth, Christchurch and PooleEngland
Overall absence5.5%, similar to England-5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.12%, similar to England-13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.0.9%, similar to England-1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate1.3%
Pupils with one or more suspensions0.7%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Highcliffe St Mark Primary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.8 miSecondaryHighcliffe SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.8 miSecondaryThe Arnewood SchoolAcademy converter
Requires improvement
1.8 miPrimarySt Joseph's Catholic Primary School, ChristchurchVoluntary aided school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Highcliffe St Mark Primary School

What is Highcliffe St Mark Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Highcliffe St Mark Primary School is rated Requires improvement by Ofsted, last inspected on 11 Jun 2024.

How does Highcliffe St Mark Primary School rank in England?

Highcliffe St Mark Primary School ranks 9,828 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (worse than 65% of schools).

What are Highcliffe St Mark Primary School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 58% of pupils at Highcliffe St Mark Primary School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Highcliffe St Mark Primary School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Highcliffe St Mark Primary School made 58 offers from 117 applications (2 per offer), and 57 of 68 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Highcliffe St Mark Primary School?

Highcliffe St Mark Primary School has 651 pupils aged 3 to 11.

What is the capacity of Highcliffe St Mark Primary School?

Highcliffe St Mark Primary School had 630 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Highcliffe St Mark Primary School?

At Highcliffe St Mark Primary School, the average class had 28.6 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 24.6 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Highcliffe St Mark Primary School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Highcliffe St Mark Primary School missed 5.5% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 12% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.