Cornfield School, Littlehampton

Special school · All-through, ages 8 to 16 · Boys only

Cornfield Close, Littlehampton, BN17 6HY

01903 731277 · School website · Map and directions

Ofsted report card3 expected, 3 needs attentionSafeguarding met · 20 January 2026
Grade 5 or above in English and maths0%England 45% · 2024/25
Pupils83Room for 72 Pupil numbers in January of each year: 58 in 2019, 62 in 2021, 63 in 2022, 68 in 2023, 73 in 2024, 79 in 2025, 83 in 2026. Across England, special state school pupil numbers were up 39% from 2019 to 2025.
Free school meals70%of pupils eligible now

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted report card from the inspection that started on 20 January 2026 , published 19 March 2026.

In short: 3 expected, 3 needs attention, and safeguarding met.

Since November 2025 Ofsted grades each area on a five-point scale instead of giving one overall grade. How report cards work.

AreaGrade
SafeguardingWhether pupils are kept safe. Met or not met. Met
InclusionHow well the school supports disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs. Expected standard Middle of five grades. Meets the standard Ofsted expects.
Curriculum and teachingWhat pupils are taught and how well they are taught it. Needs attention Fourth of five grades. Below the expected standard; the school needs to improve this.
AchievementHow well pupils learn and the results they get. Needs attention Fourth of five grades. Below the expected standard; the school needs to improve this.
Attendance and behaviourWhether pupils come to school and how they behave. Expected standard Middle of five grades. Meets the standard Ofsted expects.
Personal development and wellbeingPupils' wider development, character and wellbeing. Expected standard Middle of five grades. Meets the standard Ofsted expects.
Leadership and governanceHow well leaders and governors run the school. Needs attention Fourth of five grades. Below the expected standard; the school needs to improve this.

Read the full Ofsted reports for this school

Source: Ofsted state-funded schools inspection data.

What parents say

10 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey between 10 November 2025 and 6 April 2026.

StatementThis schoolEngland
My child is happy at this school 70% 83%
My child feels safe at this school 60% 85%
The school makes sure pupils are well behaved 50% 78%
My child with SEND gets the support they needOf 10 parents of children with SEND 80% 63%
I would recommend this school to another parent 60%said yes 83%

Parents choose whether to take part, so these answers may not represent all families (Ofsted puts the response rate at 13%). Figures are the share who agree or strongly agree. England figures are all parents answering the same questions over the same period, for state-funded schools. The scales run from lower (left) to higher (right) agreement, and the dot marks this school among state schools of the same phase that used the same survey questions. The third it falls in is coloured: green for the top third, amber the middle, red the bottom. Source: Ofsted Parent View management information.

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Results

Key stage 2 (SATs, age 11), 2024/25

8 pupils in this year group.

Only 8 pupils took these tests, so results can change a lot from year to year. Compare with care.

0% — 60 points below the West Sussex average, and 62 points below the England average.

MeasureThis schoolWest SussexEngland
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths 0% 60% 62%
Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths 0% 6% 8%
Met the expected standard in reading 0% 76% 75%
Met the expected standard in writing 13% 71% 72%
Met the expected standard in maths 0% 73% 74%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 is the expected standard. Not published 106 106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 is the expected standard. Not published 104 105

"Not published": No figure published.

Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, over time
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% England 2022/23: 60%England 2023/24: 61%England 2024/25: 62% This school 2022/23: 0%This school 2023/24: 0%This school 2024/25: 0% This school England 62% 2022/23 0% 2023/24 0% 2024/25 0%

Source: DfE key stage 2 performance tables, 2024/25. England figures are for state-funded schools.

GCSEs (key stage 4, age 16), 2024/25

12 pupils in this year group.

0% — 46 points below the West Sussex average, and 45 points below the England average.

MeasureThis schoolWest SussexEngland
Grade 5 or above in English and maths 0% 46% 45%
Attainment 8 scoreAverage of each pupil's grades across 8 GCSE-level subjects, with English and maths counted twice. Around 50 means grade 5s on average. 5.7 46.2 46.1
EBacc average point scoreAverage points across the English Baccalaureate subjects: English, maths, sciences, a language and history or geography. 0.3 4.1 4.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths, over time
0% 20% 40% 60% England 2022/23: 45%England 2023/24: 46%England 2024/25: 45% This school 2022/23: 0%This school 2023/24: 0%This school 2024/25: 0% This school England 45% 2022/23 0% 2023/24 0% 2024/25 0%

Progress 8 isn't shown. DfE didn't publish it for 2024/25 because this year group's key stage 2 tests in 2020 were cancelled, and older progress scores aren't comparable.

Source: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25. England figures are for state-funded schools.

After Year 11

Where pupils went next. DfE measures this for pupils who finished in an earlier year, so these figures describe a previous year group.

9 pupils in this year group.

Only 9 pupils took these tests, so results can change a lot from year to year. Compare with care.

89% — 5 points below the West Sussex average, and 3 points below the England average.

Where pupils went after Year 11
This school 67%22%11%
England 34%13%37%
MeasureThis schoolWest SussexEngland
Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or workPupils recorded in sustained education, apprenticeship or employment in the year after finishing Year 11. 89% 94% 92%
School sixth form 0% 26% 34%
Sixth form college 0% 20% 13%
Further education college 67% 41% 37%
Apprenticeship 0% 2% 3%
Work 22% 3% 3%

Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or work, over time

2023/242024/25
73%89%

Source: DfE key stage 4 destination measures, 2024/25 performance tables. England figures are for state-funded schools.

Admissions

Apply through the council where you live, even if the school is in a different council area. This school is in West Sussex. The national closing date for secondary applications is 31 October, and offers are sent on 1 March.

Admissions dates and schools in West Sussex

Pupils, staff and SEND

This is a special school for children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP). Places are arranged through the council's SEND team, not the normal admissions round. It caters for: Social, emotional and mental health needs.

PupilsThis schoolWest SussexEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years 67.1% 39.1%* 51.9%
With an education, health and care plan 100.0% 99.9%* 99.5%
Receiving special educational needs support 0.0% 0.1%* 0.5%
English as an additional language 1.3% 10.7%* 14.4%
Overall absence (sessions missed) 24.9% 11.3%* 12.8%
Persistently absent (missed 10% or more) 61.4% 34.7%* 35.3%
Suspensions per 100 pupils 51.9 5.5 12.3
Pupils suspended at least once 35.4% 3.6% 5.1%
Pupils permanently excluded2 pupils 2.53% 0.09% 0.08%
Pupils per teacher 4.8 7.0 6.6
Pupils per adult (teachers and support staff) 2.5 2.4 2.3
Teachers who left during the year 20.8% 11.4%* 14.3%*

Comparisons are with special schools. * Calculated by SchoolScores from the council's or England's schools, weighted by pupils (or teachers, for turnover); other figures are published by DfE. Sources: DfE school census 2024/25; DfE pupil absence 2024/25; DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions 2024/25; DfE school workforce census 2025/26; DfE teacher turnover 2024/25.

SEND provision: Get Information about Schools (DfE).

Nearby special schools

Straight-line distance. Distance isn't the same as a catchment area.

Questions parents ask

What is Cornfield School, Littlehampton's Ofsted rating?

Cornfield School, Littlehampton was inspected under Ofsted's report card format in 20 January 2026. Report cards grade each area on a five-point scale instead of giving one overall grade. Its grades were 3 expected, 3 needs attention, and safeguarding was met.

How did Cornfield School, Littlehampton do in its GCSEs?

In 2024/25, 0% of pupils grade 5 or above in English and maths, 45 points below the England average of 45%.

Would parents recommend Cornfield School, Littlehampton?

60% of the 10 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey between 10 November 2025 and 6 April 2026 said they would recommend Cornfield School, Littlehampton to another parent. Parents choose whether to respond, so this may not represent all families.

Sources

Spotted a mistake? Report it and we'll check it against the source.

Page updated 26 September 2026.