When my practical daughter started secondary school, I knew it probably wasn’t the best fit for her.
While she has an encyclopaedic memory and an aptitude for the academic, she spends every waking moment outdoors, on horseback or on foot with tools in hand, and I knew her restless spirit wouldn’t be satisfied sitting in a classroom all day.
I was right of course, and while she gained good academic grades, the experience didn’t nurture or indeed inspire, and after finishing her studies almost a decade ago, finding the right career path was literally a full-time job – for both of us!
Dorset Studio School was just a twinkle in the eyes of its founders when my daughter started secondary – not launching until 2014. But had our timing been different, my head would have been turned by this land-based educational leader set on the 750-acre Kingston Maurward estate where the county is quite literally the classroom.

What is so unique about the school is its holistic, hands-on and relevant real-world learning – pupils spend time at the equine vets, the dairy farm, the animal park.
Young people learn about horse tendons one day, photosynthesis in the greenhouse the next and how to milk a cow and drive a tractor the following week. The opportunities are endless.
But what is truly remarkable is its strong ties with employers in the land-based sector. In fact the figure of employers taking on and working with the students is topping 200 – a notable coup.
Mark Gibbens, who is a school governor and a director of Knighton Countryside Management, said: “It’s one hell of a classroom. Pupils studying here are inspired and supported to find their lane, their tribe, early on – this is the perfect antidote to aimless drifting, studying the wrong degree or spending years in an unsatisfying job.

“Our school has exceptional outcomes for our young people. Many go on to train within the veterinary sector and excel because they have had the real-life practical experience. We have young people going straight into jobs in a field they are passionate about, we have youngsters going off to do degrees – again, in the field they love, and we have students embarking on apprenticeships.
“The key with our outcomes is that the students are certain they are following the right path for them, as they would have tried a few different areas. And it is this experience which is quite powerful.”
Staff governor and director of engagement David Humphreys said: “Our students are three to five years ahead of their peers at other establishments and by the time they reach 16 years of age, they are pretty set on a career.
“In education one size does not fit all. The studio school movement is a new concept of learning. Not everyone learns by picking up a book or being stuck in a stuffy, noisy classroom. But this does not mean we are ambivalent about qualifications, this is absolutely not the case, we just cement classroom learning with practical experience, creating lightbulb moments.

“And our links with employers mean students are offered mentorships, work experience and jobs or jobs with training.
“Mark and many others have even designed a training course that suits their business needs, and we then go on to replicate this in school.”
Mark said: “Maths is supremely important. Maths is the reason why you know how many litres of milk you are producing, why your tractor has a certain amount of horsepower, how much timber you have felled, so pi squared becomes relevant in real life and understandable.”
David added: “The pedagogy is learning-by-doing and we have secured hands-on employers and good sponsorships so all our cohort can taste multiple roles in various industries to find the career they are most aligned with. And this works. We are in the perfect location for land and environment specialism.”
Mark added: “I think that our kids here leave school at 16 with a very, very clear idea of exactly where they want to go. Many young people in their 20s say to me, ‘I always knew I wanted to work outside, but, you know, it just never really happened, I followed the wrong path’.
“That doesn’t happen here.
“We make sure our students are following paths they are passionate about, careers they want to follow. We make it happen.
“And if we have a pupil who wants to become an army dog handler, David will find the best course of action for that student, the right work experience, the right practical experience here in school and the right courses of apprenticeships to follow after leaving.
“This is one of the factors as to why Dorset Studio School is thriving and why I am proud to be on the governing team – we are succeeding through committed governance, through committed staff, through committed pupils and through committed employees.”
Dorset Studio School hold frequent employer engagement days, the most recent held last month and in torrential rain. It was attended by Lynwood School of Veterinary Nursing, Winscombe Shoot, Birds of Poole Harbour and Wessex Water to name but a few.
“Days like our employer engagement day matter because they make careers feel real, not remote,” said Mark.
“When students can touch the controls, climb into the cab, and understand the people and purpose behind our industries, ambition becomes something tangible they can act on today. As both a school governor and someone working in countryside operations for over 30 years, I’ve seen how the school does things differently, blending academic foundations with hands-on exposure to the tools that shape land-based futures.
“Around 10% of our workforce at Knighton Countryside Management are school alumni, a testament to the school’s ability to inspire and prepare young people for meaningful careers in farming, ecology, engineering and land stewardship.
David added: “At our school, we have a lot of osmosis. We have employers, pupils, staff and governors and we all create community, we are interwoven, the fabric of this school.
“We are not a soft option, but the perfect choice for young people passionate about the environment who want academic learning interwoven with practical experience.”
Principal Jason Malone said: “Education isn’t only about preparing students for exams – it’s about equipping them for life. Our engagement days serve as a reminder of the power of doing, of community and of opening doors early. That’s what defines us, and that’s what stays with them.
“Eyes bright, questions fired, horizons widened, whatever the weather.”
n Jason Malone, Principal
Dorset Studio School, Kingston Maurward, Dorchester, DT2 8PX
01305 443600
jason.malone@dorsetstudio
school.co.uk