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Varndean School[1]

Secondary · ages 11–16

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Headline results

Attainment 8
A8 55 54.7 2025/26[2]

Results

GCSE (key stage 4)

Attainment 8
54.7 2025/26[2]
Grade 5+ in English & maths
67.9% 2025/26[2]
Grade 7+ in English & maths
20.8% 2025/26[2]
Progress 8
+0.42 2023/24[3]
Progress 8, 2025/26
Not calculated[4]
Progress 8, 2024/25
Not calculated[4]
Earlier years
Year Attainment 8 Grade 5+ in English & maths Grade 7+ in English & maths Progress 8
2024/25 48.8[5] 55.9%[5]
2023/24 53.5[3] 65.5%[3] +0.42[3]
2022/23 54.5[6] 68%[6] +0.36[6]
2021/22 57.3[7] 71%[7] +0.41[7]

Destinations after GCSEs

Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment
96% 2022/23[8]
School sixth form
3% 2022/23[8]
Sixth-form college
75% 2022/23[8]
Further education college
13% 2022/23[8]
Apprenticeship
1% 2022/23[8]
Employment
1% 2022/23[8]
Earlier leavers
Left in Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment School sixth form Sixth-form college Further education college Apprenticeship Employment
2021/22 94%[9] 3%[9] 74%[9] 15%[9] 1%[9]
2020/21 95%[10] 2%[10] 77%[10] 14%[10] 0%[10] 1%[10]
2019/20 95%[11] 77%[11] 17%[11] 0%[11] 1%[11]
2018/19 96%[12] 3%[12] 79%[12] 10%[12] 1%[12] 2%[12]

Shares of the pupils who left in the year shown. Russell Group and Oxford or Cambridge figures were published for leavers up to 2019/20 only.

Ofsted

Latest inspection
5 Oct 2022[13]
Type
S5 Inspection[13]
Report published
15 Nov 2022[13]
Personal development
Outstanding[13]
Quality of education
Good[13]
Overall effectiveness
Good[13]
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding[13]
Safeguarding is effective
Yes[13]
Effectiveness of leadership and management
Outstanding[13]
Earlier inspections
InspectionTypeOverall
5 Jul 2017[14] Maintained Academy and School Short inspection[14] No overall grade[14]

Competition to get in

Applications and offers, Year 7

Applications per place
3.9 Entry Sept 2026[15]
Applications (any preference)
1076 Entry Sept 2026[15]
First preferences
350 Entry Sept 2026[15]
Places offered
279 Entry Sept 2026[15]
First preferences per place
1.3 Entry Sept 2026[15]
Earlier years
Entry Applications First preferences Places offered Per place First preferences per place
Entry Sept 2025 977[15] 411[15] 285[15] 3.4[15] 1.4[15]
Entry Sept 2024 1031[15] 435[15] 278[15] 3.7[15] 1.6[15]
Entry Sept 2023 1045[15] 401[15] 291[15] 3.6[15] 1.4[15]
Entry Sept 2022 1073[15] 436[15] 303[15] 3.5[15] 1.4[15]

Character & practicalities

Type
Community school[1]
Ages
11–16[1]
Boys / girls
Mixed[1]
Admissions
Non-selective[1]
Sixth form
No[1]
Boarding
No boarders[1]
Capacity
1500[1]
Local authority
Brighton and Hove[1]
Website
http://www.varndean.co.uk[1]
District
Brighton and Hove[16]
Postcode
BN1 6NP[1]
URN
114579[1]

School details as recorded in Get Information About Schools on 14 Oct 2026.

Pupils

Number on roll
1497 2024/25[17]
English as an additional language
9.4% 2024/25[17]
SEN support
24.8% 2024/25[17]
EHC plan
6.2% 2024/25[17]
Free school meals in the last 6 years
20.5% 2024/25[17]

Pupils' ethnicity 2025/26

White
78.4%[18]
Mixed
11.3%[18]
Asian
3.9%[18]
Black
1.5%[18]
Any other ethnic group
1.7%[18]
Unclassified
3.2%[18]

The school census's major ethnic groups as shares of the school's pupils, summed by us from the published counts. For information only: never used to rank, filter or colour schools.

Sources

  1. Department for Education: Get Information About Schools: all establishments. Period 2026-10-14, published 2026-10-14. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  2. Department for Education: Performance tables schools data (explore education statistics). Period 2025/26, provisional, published 2026-10-15. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  3. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2023/24, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  4. Department for Education: Key stage 4 performance 2024/25: data guidance. Period 2024/25. Archived copy; original. Licence: OGL-3.0.
    Quote
    It is not possible to calculate Progress 8 for academic years 2024/25 and 2025/26 due to gaps in the baseline caused by COVID-19 disruption.
  5. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  6. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  7. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  8. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  9. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  10. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2020/21, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  11. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2019/20, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  12. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  13. Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2022/23. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  14. Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2016/17. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  15. Department for Education: Primary and secondary school applications and offers: school level. Period Entry Sept 2026, final, published 2026-06-29. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  16. Office for National Statistics: Parish to Ward to Local Authority District (May 2026) Lookup in EW. Period 2026-05-01. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  17. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: School census. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  18. Department for Education: Schools, pupils and their characteristics: school level underlying data. Period 2025/26, published 2026-06-04. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.