SchoolScoresIndependent school guide

Varndean School

Community school · Secondary, ages 11 to 16 · Mixed

Balfour Road, Brighton, BN1 6NP

01273 561281 · School website · Map and directions

OfstedGoodInspected 5 October 2022
Grade 5 or above in English and maths56%England 45% · 2024/25
Pupils1,487Room for 1,500
First-choice applications per place1.3350 for 279 places, September 2026

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted rated this school Good at the inspection that started on 5 October 2022.

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
Behaviour and attitudesOutstanding
Personal developmentOutstanding
Leadership and managementOutstanding
SafeguardingEffective

Read the full Ofsted reports for this school

Source: Ofsted state-funded schools inspection data.

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Results

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

299 pupils in this year group.

56% — 8 points above the Brighton and Hove average, and 11 points above the England average.

MeasureThis schoolBrighton and HoveEngland
Grade 5 or above in English and maths 56% 48% 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. 48.8 46.2 46.1
EBacc average point scoreAverage points across the English Baccalaureate subjects: English, maths, sciences, a language and history or geography. 4.5 4.2 4.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths, over time
40% 50% 60% 70% 80% England 2022/23: 45%England 2023/24: 46%England 2024/25: 45% This school 2022/23: 68%This school 2023/24: 66%This school 2024/25: 56% This school England 45% 2022/23 68% 2023/24 66% 2024/25 56%

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.

293 pupils in this year group.

96% — 3 points above the Brighton and Hove average, and 4 points above the England average.

Where pupils went after Year 11
This school 75%13%
England 34%13%37%
MeasureThis schoolBrighton and HoveEngland
Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or workPupils recorded in sustained education, apprenticeship or employment in the year after finishing Year 11. 96% 93% 92%
School sixth form 3% 13% 34%
Sixth form college 75% 55% 13%
Further education college 13% 19% 37%
Apprenticeship 1% 2% 3%
Work 1% 2% 3%

Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or work, over time

2023/242024/25
94%96%

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 Brighton and Hove. The national closing date for secondary applications is 31 October, and offers are sent on 1 March.

How hard is it to get in?

For the September 2026 intake there were about 1.5 first-choice applications for every place.

Places offered279
Families who put it first350
Of those, offered a place254 (73%)
Families who listed it at all1,076

First-choice applications per place: 2024: 1.6 · 2025: 1.4 · 2026: 1.3

This isn't your chance of getting a place. That depends on the school's admissions rules (for example siblings, distance or faith) and where you live. Source: DfE applications and offers, September 2026 intake.

Admissions dates and schools in Brighton and Hove

Pupils, staff and SEND

PupilsThis schoolBrighton and HoveEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years
 20.5% 27.0%* 28.9%
With an education, health and care plan
 6.2% 4.6%* 3.1%
Receiving special educational needs support
 24.8% 19.6%* 13.4%
English as an additional language
 9.4% 14.8%* 19.2%
Overall absence (sessions missed)
 9.2% 10.7%* 8.4%
Persistently absent (missed 10% or more)
 21.9% 28.9%* 23.4%
Suspensions per 100 pupils
 6.5 13.0 21.2
Pupils suspended at least once
 4.3% 5.9% 7.3%
Pupils permanently excluded0 pupils 0.00% 0.01% 0.23%
Pupils per teacher
 17.0 17.2 16.7
Pupils per adult (teachers and support staff)
 11.3 11.7 11.8
Teachers who left during the year
 9.9% 11.9%* 14.2%*

Comparisons are with secondary schools. Scales run from lower (left) to higher (right) figures. For absence and suspensions lower is better, so their scales run green to red; blue scales describe the school's pupils and staff and aren't good or bad. * 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.

Nearby secondary schools

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

Questions parents ask

What is Varndean School's Ofsted rating?

Varndean School was rated Good by Ofsted at its inspection in 5 October 2022.

How did Varndean School do in its GCSEs?

In 2024/25, 56% of pupils grade 5 or above in English and maths, 11 points above the England average of 45%.

Is Varndean School oversubscribed?

For the September 2026 intake, 350 families put Varndean School as their first choice for 279 places: about 1.5 first-choice applications for every place. 254 of those families were offered a place. Whether you get a place depends on the school's admissions rules and where you live.

Sources

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

Page updated 26 September 2026.