The Cornerstone Academy
Blandford Close, Poole, BH15 4BQ
645 pupils · 72% of 900 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Does not apply
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Trust
- UNITED LEARNING TRUST
- Local authority
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Free school meals
- 39.5%
Ofsted
Good (2022) — Ungraded inspection — “School remains Good” (previous grade confirmed, not re-graded)
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 19 October 2022, published 7 December 2022. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 41 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 37.3% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 59.8% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 22.5% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Usually has places available — 0.84 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 96 | 81 | 161 | 88 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 103 | 79 | 140 | 84 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 115 | 111 | 173 | 115 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 140 | 83 | 155 | 110 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 126 | 92 | 154 | 104 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 131 | 87 | 141 | 99 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 104 | 79 | 115 | 87 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 140 | 71 | 119 | 90 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Poole High School 1.7 km · Good — confirmed 2022 · previous system
- Parkstone Grammar School 3.6 km · No overall grade (2025)
- St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole 3.9 km · Good — confirmed 2022 · previous system
- Magna Academy 4.5 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- Poole Grammar School 4.6 km · No overall grade (2025)
- Lytchett Minster School 4.9 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.