TWO prestigious schools near Wimborne are set to merge to form a new school group.

Canford School and Dumpton School are merging to form the Canford Schools Group of charitable independent schools which they say will provide new opportunities.

In a statement, the schools said the decision was not financially motived, but educational.

Canford’s chair of governors Sir Gary Coward said: “Both Canford and Dumpton are outstanding schools who are forming an exciting new partnership to benefit their pupils now and for years to come.

“Together we will be able to do what we already do well, even better. While some school groups have been formed primarily through financial necessity, in our case the driving force has been educational.

“We are already close neighbours, so merging is a natural next step. Hundreds of pupils have moved on to Canford from Dumpton and have thrived, in no small part due to both schools believing in stretching children to reach their potential.”

READ MORE: Coach carrying 29 schoolchildren crashes into ditch, closing road

READ MORE: Driver left horse to die after hitting it at speed

Both school sites will remain, with the schools retaining their individual identity, name, headmaster, teachers and uniform.

The Governing Body of The Canford Schools Group will consist of governors from both schools and Dumpton will have an Education Committee overseeing its offering.

Dumpton School’s chair of governors Neil Brooks said: “As we welcome more and more pupils to Dumpton across all year groups, this merger opens up a range of new opportunities.

“Being a founder member of The Canford Schools Group will bring considerable benefits to our whole school community, including sharing resources, skills, knowledge and facilities.

“Dumpton will be able to release funds from our significant cash reserves almost immediately, to continue investing in our pupils’ education on our wonderful site.”

Headmaster of Canford Chris Wheeler said the merger is an exciting first step.

“The Canford Schools Group has an ambitious vision for the future and will continue to build ever more dynamic partnerships, enhancing teaching, providing new opportunities for pupils and staff, and ensuring a collaborative and exciting future for independent education across the south of England.

“We believe in high autonomy partnerships, which celebrate the existing traditions, ethos and identities that our school communities love whilst challenging one another to be ever better.

“Both Canford and Dumpton hugely appreciate their longstanding and close relationships with other schools, and as a group will seek to develop even closer ties with a range of partners who share the group’s educational values.”

Headmaster of Dumpton School Christian Saenger said: “Dumpton School is flourishing, after many years of stability and success.

“This merger offers us both short-term benefits and long-term stability, ensuring this success can continue. Canford is the ideal partner – an outstanding school whose educational ethos aligns so well with our own.

“Establishing such a well-resourced and skilled group will allow us to learn from each other, ensuring Dumpton is even better placed to prepare our pupils for their next steps in education.

“Whilst our strong flow of pupils to Canford will continue, Dumpton will remain committed to a range of destinations, helping every family find the right future school for their child.”

Canford is a boarding and day coeducational school near Wimborne in Dorset for pupils aged 13 to 18 years.

It is currently a finalist for ‘Public School of the Year’ in the Tatler 2026 Awards, the Independent School Parent ‘Top School in the South of England 2025’ and is the number one ranked co-ed boarding and day school in the South West for top A Level and GCSE results in the Sunday Times Parent Power report 2025.

Dumpton is a coeducational day prep school for pupils aged 2 to13 years, three miles from Canford.

It was a finalist in the last year’s Independent School of the Year ‘Coeducational School of the Year’ award, it also received the prestigious accolade of a ‘Significant Strength’ in its recent ISI inspection for the impact of its character education.