Dear Parent/Carer

Welcome to The Purbeck School website, I hope this introduction gives you a flavour of the school and helps you to understand why I and the staff who work here feel deeply privileged to do so.

The Purbeck School is a vibrant and exciting community to learn in, serving over 1000 students in the Isle of Purbeck and surrounding area. The school is an 11-18 provider offering an all through educational service, we are deeply committed to ensuring that all our students succeed and that they are fully prepared for the challenges that the 21st century holds for them, whether that be in further/higher education, or in the world of work and apprenticeships.

We provide a dynamic learning environment that has at its core a culture of high expectations for all students based around the school principles of ‘Kindess, Aspiration, Perseverance’. These high expectations have enabled the school to academically thrive and we are very proud to have a track record of exceptional A level and GCSE results which place the school firmly within the top 20% of schools nationally.

The school provides a wealth of opportunities for students. Whether it be joining one of the many sports teams, singing in the choir, taking a part in the musical, joining the STEM club, taking part in some of the many trips such as the Battlefields Tour to Belgium, the Arts trip to New York, or the Sports Tour to Greece, there really is something for everybody.

We are an exceptionally caring school community and take great pride in our pastoral system which promotes community spirit, charity, and competition. The four Houses (Swift; Skylark; Kestrel; Kingfisher) and tutor system are central to the ethos of the school. To support the pastoral system we have a dedicated team of non teaching staff in ‘the nest’ that include behavioural and mental health specialists who will support students as and when there is need.

The school has also undergone major renovation over the past 5 years with the front of the school being totally redesigned and many of the classroom environments have been transformed so that we can now boast some state of the art facilities.

As I indicated at the start of this introduction I am very proud to be leading this organisation and know how committed the staff and students are to ensure that The Purbeck School remains a fantastic place to learn.

Best wishes

Adam Darley
Headteacher
The Purbeck School