Brighton College Prep Handcross
Brighton College Prep Handcross is an independent school in Haywards Heath for boys and girls aged 2 to 14. It has 443 pupils and room for 500.
London Road, Handcross, West Sussex, Haywards Heath, RH17 6HF01444 400526brightoncollegeprephandcross.co.ukMr Jonathan Besley headmasterAll details
Inspection
This private school is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, not Ofsted. Its reports are at isi.net.
Results
The government does not publish comparable results for most independent schools (IGCSEs are left out of its measures), so none are shown here.
Getting a place
Grammar school. This is a grammar school, so places depend on an entrance test.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to West Sussex council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 443 | 431 | 407 | 392 | 395 | 387 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | – | – | – | – | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | – | – | – | – | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 11% | 17% | 10% | 12% | 12% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handcross Primary School | Council | 320 m | 238 | Good 2023 | 83 | Compare |
| Woodgate Primary Academy | Academy | 1.6 miles | 169 | Report card 2026 | 4 | Compare |
| Brantridge School | Academy | 1.7 miles | 80 | Report card 2026 | – | Compare |
| St. Mark's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 1.7 miles | 100 | Good 2024 | 35 | Compare |
| Cottesmore School | Independent | 2.0 miles | 173 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Atelier21 Future School | Independent | 2.4 miles | 137 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Colgate Primary School | Council | 2.4 miles | 126 | Good 2023 | 28 | Compare |
| Broadfield Primary Academy | Academy | 2.5 miles | 502 | Not inspected | 74 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Brighton College Prep Handcross a good school?
We don't have enough published data to score Brighton College Prep Handcross yet.
How many pupils does Brighton College Prep Handcross have?
443 pupils aged 2 to 14 were on the roll in January 2024. It has 500 places, so it is 89% full.
Does Brighton College Prep Handcross have an entrance exam?
Yes. It is a grammar school, so places depend on an entrance test, usually sat in September of Year 6. Check the school's admissions page for the test dates and the pass mark.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- London Road, Handcross, West Sussex, Haywards Heath, RH17 6HF
- Telephone
- 01444 400526
- Website
- www.brightoncollegeprephandcross.co.uk
- Headmaster
- Mr Jonathan Besley
- Type of school
- Independent school (Other independent school, independent schools)
- Phase
- Independent school, ages 2-14, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Ward
- Handcross & Pease Pottage
- Constituency
- East Grinstead and Uckfield
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 January 1932
- URN
- 126143 · LAESTAB 9386223 · UKPRN 10015628
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.