Five hardest Dorset secondary schools identified by analysis

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 23 Oct, 08:02 · Archive

The five most difficult secondary schools to enter in Dorset have been identified using catchment distance and capacity data.

The Great British Schools Guide has analysed catchment area data to reveal which secondary schools are hardest to gain places at in Dorset. The five most oversubscribed schools were identified using information about median distance travelled by pupils and school capacity figures.

The analysis excludes grammar schools, faith schools that do not allocate places based on distance, and schools lacking at least two years of pupil data. It focuses on mainstream state-funded schools in the county with at least 30 pupils in both the 2023 and 2025 intake cohorts.

The GBSG explained its methodology: median distance figures show where half a school's pupils live nearer and half live further away. These distances act as a proxy for catchment area but are not official admission boundaries. The guide combines distance data with how full each school is to determine which are hardest and easiest to enter. The analysis is based on data from the National Pupil Database.

How it is being reported

• The 5 hardest secondary schools to get into in the Dorset revealedNew data reveals the five hardest secondary schools to get into in Dorset, based on catchment distance and capacity.Bournemouth Echo · 23 Oct, 07:29
• The 5 hardest secondary schools to get into in the Dorset revealedNew data reveals the five hardest secondary schools to get into in Dorset, based on catchment distance and capacity.Dorset Echo · 23 Oct, 05:54

In this story: Dorset · Great British Schools Guide · National Pupil Database

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