Chichester Free School

Chichester · PO20 1NP

General information All-through School · 4-19 years Who goes here 1118 pupils, 14.8% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 14% on SEN support Behaviour 8.1% absence rate Staff 8.7% turnover Financials £6,333 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

We haven't asked this school for its behaviour and staffing figures yet. Sign up to tell us you'd like them, and we'll email you when they arrive.

Notify me

Your email address

Leave this empty

We'll email you a link to confirm first. Your address is only used for news about this school, and every email has a link to stop them. Privacy

Chichester Free School

General Information

Address: Hunston Road, Chichester, PO20 1NP – View on map
Phone: 01243792690
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr James Garner
Age range: 4-19 years
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: None
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

1118 pupils out of 1020 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 165
% eligible for free school meals: 14.8%
Pupil mix: 3 in 10 (similar to the Chichester average)
English as an additional language: 7% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 8.7% a year (Chichester 13.3%, typical in England 15.5%) Low turnover
Where they went: about 33% moved to another school, 67% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. "Low turnover" means it's among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across West Sussex: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 72 (1.4 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 52 (1.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 39 (0.8 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary schools in West Sussex (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 8.1%
Persistently absent pupils: 22.7%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 14.0%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 2.1%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Specific learning difficulty: 39 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 33 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 28 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 20 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 13 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 8 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 4 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 4 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 3 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 2 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

Be the first to review — win £100 of books for your school Every honest review enters you into our prize draw

Behaviour

–

Openness

–

Teaching Quality

–

School Ethos

–

Ability to Deal with Problems

–

Headteacher Approval

–

SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

–

Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

–

Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

SecondaryGCSE results, Year 11

Attainment 8 score: 44.9
Compared with the area: in line with the Chichester average (44.7)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Below (−3.4 points against an expected 48.3)
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 72% (Chichester 66%, England 65%) Improving
Data year: 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

GCSE results over time

This schoolChichester averageEngland↗ Improving Up 4.9 points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was in line with the Chichester average (44.7).

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

3rd of 6 all-through schools in Chichester for Attainment 8

#1Bishop Luffa School, Chichester52.6
#2Midhurst Rother College48.8
#3Chichester Free School44.9
#4Bourne Community College39.1
#5Chichester High School39.0

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1Bishop Luffa School, Chichester52.6
#2Midhurst Rother College48.8
#3Chichester Free School44.9
#4Bourne Community College39.1
#5Chichester High School39.0
#6The Academy, Selsey38.0

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 92.0%
Went into further education: 82.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

Maths (General)
English Language
English Literature
Science Double Award
History
Geography
Physics (General)
Chemistry (General)
Biology
Media Studies
Statistics
Business Studies
Spanish
Food Technology
Art & Design
Sports Studies
D & T
French Language
Music Studies (General)
Religious Studies
Dance: General
Turkish
Russian
Chinese

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

PrimaryYear 6 SATs results

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 67% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 5% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 10 percentage points above the Chichester average (57%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 68% against an expected 67%)
3-year average (expected standard): 68%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 83% · Writing 78% · Maths 80% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 84%
Average test scores: reading 107, maths 105
Based on: 64 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolChichester averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 10 percentage points above the Chichester average (57%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 8th of 42 junior and primary schools in the area

#6Kingsham Primary School69%
#7Bosham Primary School68%
=8Chichester Free School67%
=8Northchapel Community Primary School67%
=8Thorney Island Community Primary School67%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Fishbourne CofE Primary School83%
#2Camelsdale Primary School79%
=3Jessie Younghusband Primary School75%
=3Singleton CofE Primary School75%
#5Tangmere Primary Academy70%
#6Kingsham Primary School69%
#7Bosham Primary School68%
=8Chichester Free School67%
=8Northchapel Community Primary School67%
=8Thorney Island Community Primary School67%
#11Parklands Community Primary School65%
#12Seal Primary Academy64%
#13Chidham Parochial Primary School63%
#14Medmerry Primary School61%
=15Sidlesham Primary School60%
=15The March CofE Primary School60%
=17Birdham CE Primary School59%
=17East Wittering Community Primary School59%
=19Bury CofE Primary School58%
=19Duncton CofE Junior School58%
=19Petworth Cof E Primary School58%
#22North Mundham Primary School57%
=23Funtington Primary School56%
=23Southbourne Junior School56%
=25Lavant Primary School53%
=25Loxwood Primary School53%
=27Harting CofE Primary School50%
=27Plaistow and Kirdford Primary School50%
=27Rogate CofE Primary School50%
=27Westbourne Primary School50%
#31Wisborough Green Primary School48%
#32Midhurst CofE Primary School47%
#33Portfield Primary Academy43%
=34Compton and Up Marden CofE Primary School42%
=34Fittleworth CofE Village School42%
#36Easebourne CofE Primary School38%
#37St. Joseph's CofE Junior School36%
#38Hollycombe Primary School35%
#39Rake CofE Primary School25%
#40Rumboldswhyke CofE Primary School18%
#41Boxgrove CofE Primary School15%
#42West Wittering Parochial Church of England School13%

View full Ofsted inspection report

3rd of 3 all-through schools in Chichester for Ofsted rating

#1Bishop Luffa School, ChichesterOutstanding
#2Midhurst Rother CollegeOutstanding
#3Chichester Free SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Bishop Luffa School, ChichesterOutstanding
#2Midhurst Rother CollegeOutstanding
#3Chichester Free SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,333 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

6th of 6 all-through schools in Chichester for spending per pupil

#4Bishop Luffa School, Chichester£6,779
#5Chichester High School£6,739
#6Chichester Free School£6,333

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Midhurst Rother College£8,072
#2Bourne Community College£8,040
#3The Academy, Selsey£7,369
#4Bishop Luffa School, Chichester£6,779
#5Chichester High School£6,739
#6Chichester Free School£6,333

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

Have you rated Chichester Free School yet? Your experience helps other parents.

Rate this school

General Information

Who goes here

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Behaviour

Across West Sussex: suspensions by reason

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Year 6 SATs ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered