Worthing High School

Worthing · BN14 7AR

General information Secondary School · 11-16 years Who goes here 1050 pupils, 15.5% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN SEN unit · 14% on SEN support Behaviour 8.9% absence rate Staff 10.5% turnover Financials £7,476 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Worthing High School

General Information

Address: South Farm Road, Worthing, BN14 7AR – View on map
Phone: 01903237864
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Alex Simpson
Age range: 11-16 years
Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 213 families put it first for 205 places – 10 for every 10 places. 91% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 12 · 2024 13 · 2025 12 · 2026 10
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: None
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

1050 pupils out of 1122 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 163
% eligible for free school meals: 15.5%
Pupil mix: 4 in 10 (similar to the Worthing average)
English as an additional language: 9% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 10.5% a year (Worthing 12.2%, typical in England 15.5%) Low turnover
Where they went: about 35% moved to another school, 65% 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: 8.9%
Persistently absent pupils: 21.5%
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

SEN unit for AutismSpeech, language and communicationSocial, emotional and mental healthModerate learning difficultiesSpecific learning difficulties (e.g. dyslexia)Hearing impairmentPhysical disabilityOther needs 41 places · 41 pupils at the last count

Places are usually for children with an EHC Plan and are arranged through the council, not the normal school application.

Pupils on SEN Support: 14.0%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 6.2%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Social, emotional and mental health: 38 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 32 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 23 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 19 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 14 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Social, emotional and mental health: 22 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 16 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 14 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 6 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 3 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 –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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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.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2016 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.

Attainment 8 score: 48.6
Compared with the area: 1.2 points below the Worthing average (49.8)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (−0.9 points against an expected 49.5)
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 72% (Worthing 73%, England 65%) Broadly steady
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 schoolWorthing 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 1.2 points below the Worthing average (49.8).

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.

4th of 6 secondary schools in Worthing for Attainment 8

#2Davison Church of England High School for Girls, Worthing52.1
#3Durrington High School49.8
#4Worthing High School48.6
#5Bohunt School Worthing46.7
#6St Andrew's CofE High School41.7

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1St Oscar Romero Catholic School55.1
#2Davison Church of England High School for Girls, Worthing52.1
#3Durrington High School49.8
#4Worthing High School48.6
#5Bohunt School Worthing46.7
#6St Andrew's CofE High School41.7

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 95.0%
Went into further education: 92.0%
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
Geography
Statistics
History
Biology
Chemistry (General)
Physics (General)
Business Studies
Media Studies
D & T
Spanish
Food Technology
Religious Studies
Art & Design
Sports Studies
French Language
Computer Science
German
Speech & Drama
Portuguese
Arabic
Italian

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.

View full Ofsted inspection report

6th of 6 secondary schools in Worthing for Ofsted rating

#4St Andrew's CofE High SchoolGood
#5St Oscar Romero Catholic SchoolGood
#6Worthing High 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

#1Davison Church of England High School for Girls, WorthingOutstanding
#2Bohunt School WorthingGood
#3Durrington High SchoolGood
#4St Andrew's CofE High SchoolGood
#5St Oscar Romero Catholic SchoolGood
#6Worthing High SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £7,476 (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.

3rd of 6 secondary schools in Worthing for spending per pupil

#1Bohunt School Worthing£8,424
#2St Andrew's CofE High School£7,806
#3Worthing High School£7,476
#4Durrington High School£7,044
#5Davison Church of England High School for Girls, Worthing£6,880

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

#1Bohunt School Worthing£8,424
#2St Andrew's CofE High School£7,806
#3Worthing High School£7,476
#4Durrington High School£7,044
#5Davison Church of England High School for Girls, Worthing£6,880
#6St Oscar Romero Catholic School£6,744

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

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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 ?

Ofsted Rating ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered