Chichester Free School
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Chichester Free School is a free school in Chichester for boys and girls aged 4 to 19. It has 1,118 pupils, 98 more than it has places for. About 15 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 59 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 56% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.
Hunston Road, Chichester, PO20 1NP01243 792690chichesterfreeschool.org.ukMr James Garner principalAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 8 May 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
117 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | West Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 117 | 99 | 108 | 120 | 86 | 52 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 44.9 | 44.5 | 40.0 | 44.2 | 44.4 | 44.8 | 46.6 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | +0.00 | -0.46 | -0.32 | -0.07 | -0.05 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 40% | 39% | 31% | 40% | 34% | 37% | 46% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 72% | 71% | 61% | 62% | 72% | 63% | 68% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 4.02 | 3.76 | 3.40 | 3.84 | 4.11 | 4.07 | 4.10 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 37% | 14% | 22% | 28% | 64% | 52% | 38% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 35.7 | 37.4 | 30.6 | 28.8 | 35.9 | 45.2 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 46.4 | 45.3 | 41.0 | 47.9 | 45.5 | 44.6 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 33.7 | 27.9 | 28.4 | 24.1 | 29.7 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 65.1 | 58.9 | 69.0 | 57.0 | 58.4 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 21 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Biology (56% here, 82% across England), Chemistry (58% here, 81% across England), Food Preparation & Nutrition (30% here, 52% across England), Art and Design (38% here, 58% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 117 | 21% | 50% | 76% | 53% | 1,645 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 117 | 10% | 48% | 74% | 54% | 1,962 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 115 | 17% | 56% | 76% | 58% | 1,586 of 3,202 |
| Combined Science | 72 | 7% | 24% | 46% | 36% | 2,359 of 3,084 |
| History | 57 | 23% | 58% | 77% | 52% | 1,056 of 3,126 |
| Geography | 50 | 24% | 44% | 54% | 51% | 1,814 of 3,116 |
| Physics | 43 | 23% | 63% | 84% | 82% | 2,156 of 2,546 |
| Chemistry | 43 | 28% | 58% | 79% | 81% | 2,217 of 2,537 |
| Biology | 43 | 26% | 56% | 77% | 82% | 2,311 of 2,570 |
| Media / Film / TV | 33 | 27% | 61% | 73% | 55% | 223 of 580 |
| Statistics | 29 | 38% | 100% | 100% | 51% | 49 of 375 |
| Spanish | 28 | 29% | 64% | 82% | 54% | 656 of 1,941 |
| Business | 28 | 7% | 36% | 71% | 51% | 1,315 of 1,806 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 27 | 4% | 30% | 41% | 52% | 916 of 1,098 |
| Art and Design | 24 | 8% | 38% | 46% | 58% | 2,317 of 2,818 |
| Physical Education | 18 | 17% | 39% | 50% | 56% | – |
| Design & Technology | 15 | 13% | 53% | 80% | 50% | – |
| French | 13 | 8% | 54% | 62% | 60% | – |
| Music | 11 | 36% | 36% | 36% | 61% | – |
| Religious Studies | 8 | 38% | 63% | 88% | 60% | – |
| Dance | 7 | 29% | 86% | 100% | 58% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
64 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | West Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 64 | 66 | 64 | 59 | 30 | 30 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 67% | 68% | 69% | 50% | 67% | 53% | 59% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 13% | 0% | 6% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 107.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 | 105.6 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 105.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 | 103.9 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 107.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 | 101.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 | 104.1 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 83% | 79% | 80% | 63% | 67% | 77% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 80% | 79% | 80% | 68% | 73% | 70% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 78% | 77% | 77% | 66% | 77% | 60% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -0.2 | +0.2 | -2.6 | +0.3 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | +0.7 | -0.2 | -1.4 | -2.1 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 33% | – | 56% | 13% | – | 14% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 73% | – | 71% | 56% | – | 65% | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
A level and sixth-form results, 2025
1 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2023 | 2022 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Average A level grade | z | NE | NE | NE |
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 3 of the 6 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
At the end of primary school, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
About 176 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have grown by 6% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.
The last child to get a place lived 1.3 miles away in 2023. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2025.
| Entry | Places | Applied at all | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Primary | 60 | 76 | 60 | – | LA |
| 2024 Primary | 60 | 54 | 57 | – all offered | LA |
| 2023 Primary | 60 | 68 | 60 | 1.3 miles | LA |
What a home within 1.3 miles of the school costs
Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.8 pupils (England 26.2); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 32.0 (England 28.2).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Specific learning difficulty (41), language and communications needs (36), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (33), emotional and mental health (23), Moderate learning difficulty (17), Autistic spectrum disorder (16).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 1,118 | 1,078 | 1,063 | 1,027 | 1,015 | 1,023 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 15% | 15% | 13% | 10% | 8% | 8% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 7% | 6% | 6% | 5% | 4% | 4% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 14% | 16% | 14% | 14% | 15% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 1% | 1% | 2% | 2% | 1% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 8.1% | 7.6% | 7.0% | 8.5% | 6.6% | 5.4% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 6.9% | 6.5% | 5.8% | 7.2% | 5.9% | 4.4% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 0.7% | 1.0% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 22.7% | 21.3% | 20.6% | 25.2% | 19.7% | 14.8% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 8.4 | 12.0 | 9.1 | 11.3 | 4.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 2 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 108 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 80%, compared with 93% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 92% | 94% | 95% | 93% |
| Education | 82% | 89% | 86% | 90% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 1% | 3% | 1% |
| Work | 5% | 4% | 6% | 3% |
| Not in education, work or training | 8% | 4% | 4% | 7% |
After sixth form
Where the 26 pupils who left in 2020/21 were a year later.
Where the ones heading for university went
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
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 secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingsham Primary School | Academy | 490 m | 270 | Good 2020 | 72 | Compare |
| Chichester High School | Academy | 860 m | 1,191 | No overall grade 2024 | 21 | Compare |
| Chichester High Schools Sixth Form | Sixth form centres | 0.6 miles | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Rumboldswhyke CofE Primary School | Academy | 0.7 miles | 127 | Good 2023 | 4 | Compare |
| North Mundham Primary School | Council | 0.7 miles | 206 | Not inspected | 39 | Compare |
| St Richard's Catholic Primary School | Academy | 0.8 miles | – | Good 2022 | – | Compare |
| Chichester Nursery School | Local authority nursery school | 1.1 miles | 140 | Good 2024 | – | Compare |
| The Prebendal School | Independent | 1.1 miles | 119 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Chichester Free School with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Chichester Free School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Oscar Romero Catholic School | Roman Catholic | 14.7 miles | 1,144 | No overall grade 2025 | 93 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 59 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 59% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 47 to 69. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | in line | -0.05 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 117 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 2.3 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | in line | +0.00 | DfE progress measure; 117 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well above | +0.13 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | +0.03 | 2024/25; 1,067 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | in line | -0.01 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 117 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | in line | +0.01 | 108 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Chichester Free School a good school?
It is about average. Chichester Free School scores 59 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 56% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 47 to 69, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Chichester Free School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Chichester Free School good at its last full inspection on 8 May 2024.
How good are Chichester Free School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 40% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 44.9, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about level with children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How good are Chichester Free School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 67% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 5% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does Chichester Free School have?
1,118 pupils aged 4 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,020 places, so it is 110% full.
Is Chichester Free School oversubscribed?
Probably not. 176 places were empty in 2024/25 (14% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Chichester Free School?
Pupils were in school 91.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 23% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Chichester Free School?
The average class had 27.9 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 33% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Chichester Free School have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 92% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Hunston Road, Chichester, PO20 1NP
- Telephone
- 01243 792690
- Website
- www.chichesterfreeschool.org.uk
- Principal
- Mr James Garner
- Type of school
- Free school (Free schools, free schools)
- Phase
- All-through school, ages 4-19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- Sussex Learning Trust (7 schools)
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Ward
- North Mundham & Tangmere
- Constituency
- Chichester
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 9 September 2013 (new provision)
- URN
- 139668 · LAESTAB 9384006 · UKPRN 10041694
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
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.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: West Sussex council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2023, 2024, 2025.
- House prices: HM Land Registry price paid data, December 2023 to December 2025, placed by postcode.
- 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.