At a glance
Key published figures for this school.
Ofsted inspection
Latest outcome
Report published 15 Nov 2022.
Inspection history
- Previous gradedGood
This page shows previous graded and latest ungraded outcomes when Ofsted publishes them in the national file. Full history stays on the Ofsted report.
School figures
Coloured bars compare this school with the average for other schools in BN1. Where we have them, council (Brighton and Hove) and England figures appear under FSM, SEN and attendance. FSM, SEN and EAL are context, not quality scores. For attendance, higher is usually better.
- Pupils on roll
- 1487
- Free school meals
- 23%
- SEN
- 30.9%
- EAL
- 9.4%
- Attendance
- 91% Autumn and spring 2024/25
Also: Brighton and Hove 25.3% · England 25.8%
Also: Brighton and Hove 23.5% · England 16.5%
Also: Brighton and Hove 89.7% · England 91.9%
Each metric uses its own colour so you can tell the rows apart. The lighter bar is the BN1 average; the darker bar is this school.
Compared with England
Persistent absence is 2024/25. Headline GCSE measures are 2024/25. Progress 8 is from 2023/24, the latest year published for this school. There is no Progress 8 for 2024/25 or 2025/26, because those pupils did not sit Key Stage 2 tests during the pandemic. England is the state-funded average from the same tables. Progress 8 of 0 is typical.
20.6%
1.3% below England (21.9%)
+0.42
0.42 above England (0.00)
48.8
2.7 above England (46.1)
55.9%
10.5% above England (45.4%)
72.9%
8.1% above England (64.8%)
67.6%
27.1% above England (40.5%)
4.54
0.5 above England (4.09)
Trends
Attendance
Autumn and spring 2024/25 from DfE pupil absence data (where published for this URN). The headline above uses the same period.
- 96.4%2020/21
- 91.1%2021/22
- 91.5%2022/23
- 90.5%2023/24
- 91%2024/25
Admissions
Applications and offers (September 2026 entry)
For September 2026 entry, 350 families put this school first. 254 of them were offered a place here.
- Named as first preference
- 350
- First-preference offers
- 254
- First preferences offered a place
- 72.6%
- Total offers
- 279
- Named on any preference
- 1,076
This is historic demand from one admissions round. It is not a guarantee of a place, and it does not show a catchment area. Admission rules and priorities differ by school.
SourceDfE applications and offers, September 2026 entryPublished 18th of June 2026.
How full the building is
- Roll versus published capacity
- Close to published capacity
- Published capacity (GIAS)
- 1500
- Pupils on roll
- 1487
Pupils on roll compared with the capacity published in GIAS. This is about building size, not applications or offers, and it is not a guarantee of a place.
Applications and offers come from DfE. Last distance offered and catchment areas are not published nationally. Your council admissions booklet has those details.
Check your council admissions booklet via the Brighton and Hove page.
SEN support
- SEN %
- 30.9%
- On-site provision
- Special classes
A higher SEN percentage can mean experience with support needs, or more demand on staff. Ask the SENCO what is available day to day.
Schools near Varndean School
Distances are in a straight line from this school. They are not catchment areas.
- Dorothy Stringer School
- Patcham High School
- Cardinal Newman Catholic School
- Kings Brighton
- Brighton Aldridge Community Academy
- Blatchington Mill School
- Hove Park School and Sixth Form Centre
- Brighton College
Other nearby schools
Sources and freshness
- School year for most DfE figures: 2024/25.
- Pipeline last checked: Oct 2026.
- Council and England attendance / FSM tables: 2024/25.
- School figures from DfE / GIAS / Ofsted where published. District averages use other schools in this postcode district. Council and England figures use DfE local authority and national tables for the matching phase.
- We do not publish school photos. The banner shows initials from the school name.
- Methodology · Data updates