73%
GCSE 9–4 · 2024/25
56%
GCSE 5+ · 2024/25
48.8
Attainment 8 · 2024/25
68%
EBacc entry · 2024/25
1357.1
EBacc APS · 2024/25
1,497
Pupils · 2024/25
9%
EAL · 2024/25
22%
Persistent abs. · 2024/25
Ofsted inspection
Good
Ofsted inspection · 05/10/2022
Inadequate
Requires improvement
Good
Outstanding
Local authorityBrighton and Hove
PhaseSecondary
School typeMaintained school
Pupil : teacher ratio17.4:1
AdmissionsNon-selective
Religious characterDoes not apply
StatusOpen
Overview of Varndean School · Secondary · Brighton and Hove
How does this school perform?
Key Stage 4 · 2024/25 · trend since 2016/17
GCSE 9–4 incl. Eng & maths
73%
-7pp
85%79%73%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 73%
GCSE 5+ incl. Eng & maths
56%
-10pp
71%63%56%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 56%
Attainment 8
48.8
-4.7
57.353.048.8
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 48.8
EBacc entry
68%
+2pp
68%62%57%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 68%
EBacc APS
1357.1
-104.3
1461.51369.71277.9
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 1357.1
Pupils & context
2024/25
Pupils on roll
1,497
Pupil : teacher ratio
17.4
Workforce data · 2025/26
EAL
9%
FSM eligible
21%
SEN
31%
Overall absence
9%
Persistent absence
22%
Contact
Address
Balfour Road, Brighton, BN1 6NP
Local authority
Brighton and Hove
Website
Telephone
Email
—
History
All years · Historical DfE data by academic year
Secondary — Key Stage 4
GCSE attainment and Progress 8 — how pupils progressed from KS2 to KS4.
| Year | GCSE 9–4 | GCSE 5+ | Attainment 8 | Progress 8 | EBacc entry | EBacc APS | EBacc lang entry | Cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 73% | 56% | 48.8 | Not applicable | 68% | 1357.1 | 69% | 1,497 |
| 2023/24 | 80% | 66% | 53.5 | +0.42 | 66% | 1461.5 | 69% | 1,490 |
| 2022/23 | 82% | 68% | 54.5 | +0.36 | 59% | 1460.1 | 62% | 1,498 |
| 2021/22 | 85% | 71% | 57.3 | +0.41 | 64% | 1389.6 | 68% | 1,466 |
| 2018/19 | 81% | 62% | 54.6 | +0.36 | 57% | 1277.9 | 62% | 1,352 |
| 2017/18 | 75% | 59% | 53.0 | +0.33 | 40% | 1184.7 | 51% | 1,332 |
| 2016/17 | 67% | 55% | 47.2 | -0.17 | 31% | — | 46% | 1,342 |
Pupils & absence
| Year | Pupils | Pupil:teacher | SEN | EAL | FSM ever | Absence | Persistent absence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 1,497 | 16.9 | 31% | 9% | 21% | 9% | 22% |
| 2023/24 | 1,490 | 17.7 | 28% | 10% | 21% | 10% | 25% |
| 2022/23 | 1,498 | 18.6 | 24% | 10% | 21% | 9% | 20% |
| 2021/22 | 1,466 | 18.4 | 22% | 10% | 20% | 9% | 24% |
| 2020/21 | 1,419 | 17.7 | 19% | 9% | 21% | — | — |
| 2018/19 | 1,352 | 19.0 | 18% | 9% | 22% | 5% | 12% |
| 2017/18 | 1,332 | 16.9 | 19% | 10% | 23% | 5% | 11% |
| 2016/17 | 1,342 | 16.5 | 21% | 11% | 26% | 5% | 12% |
School performance data © Crown copyright. Source: Department for Education.