School WiselyBeta

Downlands Community School[1]

Secondary · ages 11–16

Open in the map

Headline results

Attainment 8
A8 58 58.3 2025/26[2]

Results

GCSE (key stage 4)

Attainment 8
58.3 2025/26[2]
Grade 5+ in English & maths
68.9% 2025/26[2]
Grade 7+ in English & maths
23.9% 2025/26[2]
Progress 8
+0.53 2023/24[3]
Progress 8, 2025/26
Not calculated[4]
Progress 8, 2024/25
Not calculated[4]
Earlier years
Year Attainment 8 Grade 5+ in English & maths Grade 7+ in English & maths Progress 8
2024/25 57.3[5] 66.2%[5]
2023/24 54.9[3] 58%[3] +0.53[3]
2022/23 56[6] 62%[6] +0.51[6]
2021/22 57.2[7] 66%[7] +0.58[7]

Destinations after GCSEs

Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment
97% 2022/23[8]
School sixth form
7% 2022/23[8]
Sixth-form college
59% 2022/23[8]
Further education college
26% 2022/23[8]
Apprenticeship
1% 2022/23[8]
Employment
3% 2022/23[8]
Earlier leavers
Left in Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment School sixth form Sixth-form college Further education college Apprenticeship Employment
2021/22 97%[9] 4%[9] 57%[9] 31%[9] 3%[9] 2%[9]
2020/21 95%[10] 3%[10] 57%[10] 29%[10] 3%[10] 3%[10]
2019/20 97%[11] 8%[11] 65%[11] 20%[11] 1%[11]
2018/19 97%[12] 6%[12] 67%[12] 17%[12] 3%[12] 3%[12]

Shares of the pupils who left in the year shown. Russell Group and Oxford or Cambridge figures were published for leavers up to 2019/20 only.

Ofsted

Latest inspection
4 Oct 2022[13]
Type
S5 Inspection[13]
Report published
23 Nov 2022[13]
Personal development
Good[13]
Quality of education
Good[13]
Overall effectiveness
Good[13]
Behaviour and attitudes
Good[13]
Safeguarding is effective
Yes[13]
Effectiveness of leadership and management
Good[13]
Earlier inspections
InspectionTypeOverall
29 Nov 2016[14] Maintained Academy and School Short inspection[14] Outstanding[14]

Competition to get in

Applications and offers, Year 7

Applications per place
2.1 Entry Sept 2026[15]
Applications (any preference)
499 Entry Sept 2026[15]
First preferences
257 Entry Sept 2026[15]
Places offered
241 Entry Sept 2026[15]
First preferences per place
1.1 Entry Sept 2026[15]
Earlier years
Entry Applications First preferences Places offered Per place First preferences per place
Entry Sept 2025 517[15] 274[15] 234[15] 2.2[15] 1.2[15]
Entry Sept 2024 559[15] 282[15] 242[15] 2.3[15] 1.2[15]
Entry Sept 2023 548[15] 301[15] 268[15] 2.0[15] 1.1[15]
Entry Sept 2022 611[15] 312[15] 271[15] 2.3[15] 1.2[15]

Character & practicalities

Type
Community school[1]
Ages
11–16[1]
Boys / girls
Mixed[1]
Admissions
Non-selective[1]
Sixth form
No[1]
Boarding
No boarders[1]
Capacity
1200[1]
Local authority
West Sussex[1]
Website
http://downlands.w-sussex.sch.uk/[1]
District
Mid Sussex[16]
Postcode
BN6 8LP[1]
URN
126087[1]

School details as recorded in Get Information About Schools on 14 Oct 2026.

Pupils

Number on roll
1250 2024/25[17]
English as an additional language
4% 2024/25[17]
SEN support
20.6% 2024/25[17]
EHC plan
2% 2024/25[17]
Free school meals in the last 6 years
8.3% 2024/25[17]

Pupils' ethnicity 2025/26

White
87.1%[18]
Mixed
4.6%[18]
Asian
0.7%[18]
Black
0.5%[18]
Any other ethnic group
0.7%[18]
Unclassified
6.4%[18]

The school census's major ethnic groups as shares of the school's pupils, summed by us from the published counts. For information only: never used to rank, filter or colour schools.

Sources

  1. Department for Education: Get Information About Schools: all establishments. Period 2026-10-14, published 2026-10-14. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  2. Department for Education: Performance tables schools data (explore education statistics). Period 2025/26, provisional, published 2026-10-15. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  3. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2023/24, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  4. Department for Education: Key stage 4 performance 2024/25: data guidance. Period 2024/25. Archived copy; original. Licence: OGL-3.0.
    Quote
    It is not possible to calculate Progress 8 for academic years 2024/25 and 2025/26 due to gaps in the baseline caused by COVID-19 disruption.
  5. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  6. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  7. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  8. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  9. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  10. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2020/21, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  11. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2019/20, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  12. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  13. Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2022/23. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  14. Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2016/17. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  15. Department for Education: Primary and secondary school applications and offers: school level. Period Entry Sept 2026, final, published 2026-06-29. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  16. Office for National Statistics: Parish to Ward to Local Authority District (May 2026) Lookup in EW. Period 2026-05-01. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  17. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: School census. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  18. Department for Education: Schools, pupils and their characteristics: school level underlying data. Period 2025/26, published 2026-06-04. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.