OFSTED
5 October 2023
Latest ungraded inspection
Latest published outcome
School remains Good
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Foundation special school
Phase
Not applicable
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Does not apply
Local authority
West Sussex
Trust
Not applicable
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
296
296 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
116
39.2% of pupils
Male pupils
180
60.8% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
7.3 pts
above England
School
32.1%
Mid Sussex
9.7%
South East
19.0%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
11.5 pts
below England
School
8.8%
Mid Sussex
7.8%
South East
15.6%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
1.0 pts
below England
School
0.0%
Mid Sussex
0.6%
South East
1.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
76.7%
227
Any other White background
4.7%
14
Any other Mixed background
3.0%
9
Any other Asian background
2.7%
8
African
2.0%
6
Bangladeshi
1.7%
5
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
100.0%
296 of
296 pupils
79.2 pts
above England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
14.4 pts
below
England
6.0%
93.6 pts
above
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
0.9
38.3 pts
below England
Latest published: -1.61 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
9.64%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
3.43 pts
higher than
England
School
9.64%
Mid Sussex
5.63%
South East
6.30%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
33.18%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
17.37 pts
higher than
England
School
33.18%
Mid Sussex
12.94%
South East
15.75%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
2.24%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
0.44 pts
higher than
England
School
2.24%
Mid Sussex
1.42%
South East
1.93%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open not applicable schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
114.3%
34.5 pts
above England
Woodlands Meed
114.3%
Mid Sussex
86.5%
South East
79.9%
England
79.8%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.