Welcome to The Swanage School

Academic ambition

We promise to help your child achieve the best they can. Our deliberately ambitious target is to be among the top tier of Dorset schools, judged both by the progress students make and by the percentage of students who leave with five grade 5 to 9 GCSE passes including English and Maths. We envisage that a large majority of our students will surpass that national baseline. We believe it is our duty to ensure every student who comes through our doors achieves the best possible outcome.

How will we achieve this?

Through hard work, proven teaching methods and individual support for your child.

We are a small school – with smaller numbers in each year and each class – and we will know your child well and employ resources so that he or she attains the highest exam results in subjects that will be useful in their career and further education.

Dedicated teachers

As our school has grown we have hand-picked staff who demonstrate outstanding teaching and who show experience of achieving exceptional progress with their students or a clarity of vision for doing so. 

All of our teachers are dedicated to the rigorous and innovative education systems we have developed and work as a team, everyone pulling in the same direction.

We are never complacent and continuously review our organisation.

Engaged students

Students are enthused by friendly and knowledgeable staff and are drawn into learning through interesting projects taught in school and beyond. Students enjoy ‘Challenge Days’ where normal lessons are replaced with whole school or year group investigations, activities and trips that make learning memorable and fun.

Of course, learning is enhanced by our modern classrooms, labs, workshops, sports facilities and performance spaces. But the quality of teaching is more important.

Supportive atmosphere

Crews, year groups and the whole school meet regularly to celebrate successes and to help each other. Our staff meet frequently to discuss how students are doing and what can be improved the very next day. Crew Leaders have regular contact with students and parents to discuss progress and any concerns.

We won’t let any child fall through the net.

Equipped for life

There are two types of learners – those who think that talents are natural and those who think that talents are learned.

Those who believe talents are natural are often gifted in some areas and find them easy.  But they can suffer if they meet failure at any point, because they believe there is no way they can improve. They give up at the first attempt and stick to what they are good at.

But resilient learners know that talents can be learned and that failures and mistakes are just part of the process. They know it is fine not to know something – they just have to learn it. They can confidently say: ‘I don’t know this – yet.’

This is why students at The Swanage School will learn resilience – the strength of character to try things, to learn from mistakes and to go on to greater things.

This will set your child on course for a life full of ambition, confidence and success.

Small is beautiful

The Swanage School has been created on 'human scale' principles, which means that strong and genuine relationships – within school, with the local community and with the wider world – are at its heart. The school combines local learning with a global outlook.

We believe an effective way to drive up standards and students’ ambition is for teachers to build relationships with each and every child and their family. Because we know each student well, we can encourage and support them in ways that are meaningful to them.