Oak Grove College

Special school · Secondary, ages 11 to 19 · Mixed · Sixth form

The Boulevard, Worthing, BN13 1JX

01903 708870 · School website · Map and directions

OfstedGoodInspected 11 December 2014; confirmed 2024
Pupils274Room for 276 Pupil numbers in January of each year: 245 in 2019, 260 in 2021, 266 in 2022, 275 in 2023, 273 in 2024, 279 in 2025, 274 in 2026. Across England, special state school pupil numbers were up 39% from 2019 to 2025.
Free school meals49%of pupils eligible now

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted rated this school Good at the inspection that started on 11 December 2014.

This inspection used Ofsted's older format with four grades: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. Newer inspections use report cards. What changed.

AreaGrade
Quality of educationGood
Outcomes for pupilsGood
Leadership and managementGood
Sixth formOutstanding

Since then, a shorter ungraded inspection on 12 June 2024: Ofsted found the school was still Good.

Read the full Ofsted reports for this school

Source: Ofsted state-funded schools inspection data.

What parents say

65 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey between 2 April 2024 and 7 April 2025.

StatementThis schoolEngland
My child is happy at this school 94% 89%
My child feels safe at this school 94% 90%
The school makes sure pupils are well behaved 89% 84%
Bullying was dealt with quickly and effectivelyOf 26 parents whose child had been bullied 62% 51%
Concerns were dealt with properlyOf 51 parents who had raised a concern 88% 76%
I would recommend this school to another parent 91%said yes 84%

Parents choose whether to take part, so these answers may not represent all families. 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. This survey used Ofsted's previous Parent View questions, which changed in November 2025. Source: Ofsted Parent View management information.

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Results

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

49 pupils in this year group.

MeasureThis schoolWest SussexEngland
Grade 5 or above in English and maths Not published 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. Not published 46.2 46.1
EBacc average point scoreAverage points across the English Baccalaureate subjects: English, maths, sciences, a language and history or geography. Not published 4.1 4.1

"Not published": No pupils were entered.

Grade 5 or above in English and maths, over time

2022/232023/242024/25
Not published0%Not published

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.

38 pupils in this year group.

84% — 10 points below the West Sussex average, and 8 points below the England average.

MeasureThis schoolWest SussexEngland
Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or workPupils recorded in sustained education, apprenticeship or employment in the year after finishing Year 11. 84% 94% 92%
School sixth form 0% 26% 34%
Sixth form college 0% 20% 13%
Further education college 45% 41% 37%
Apprenticeship 0% 2% 3%
Work 0% 3% 3%

Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or work, over time

2023/242024/25
75%84%

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: Speech, language and communication needs; Autism; Multi-sensory impairment; Moderate learning difficulties; Severe learning difficulties; Profound and multiple learning difficulties.

PupilsThis schoolWest SussexEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years 49.8% 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 7.2% 10.7%* 14.4%
Overall absence (sessions missed) 10.2% 11.3%* 12.8%
Persistently absent (missed 10% or more) 33.5% 34.7%* 35.3%
Suspensions per 100 pupils 10.0 5.5 12.3
Pupils suspended at least once 5.4% 3.6% 5.1%
Pupils permanently excluded0 pupils 0.00% 0.09% 0.08%
Pupils per teacher 6.3 7.0 6.6
Pupils per adult (teachers and support staff) 2.1 2.4 2.3
Teachers who left during the year 14.5% 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 Oak Grove College's Ofsted rating?

Oak Grove College was rated Good by Ofsted at its inspection in 11 December 2014. At a shorter ungraded inspection in 12 June 2024, Ofsted found the school was still Good.

How did Oak Grove College do in its GCSEs?

DfE didn't publish this figure for 2024/25. No pupils were entered.

Would parents recommend Oak Grove College?

91% of the 65 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey between 2 April 2024 and 7 April 2025 said they would recommend Oak Grove College to another parent. Parents choose whether to respond, so this may not represent all families.

Sources

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Page updated 26 September 2026.