The Gatwick School
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The Gatwick School is a free school in Crawley for boys and girls aged 4 to 16. It has 861 pupils and room for 1,020. About 21 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 35 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 42% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.
23 Gatwick Road, Crawley, RH10 9TP01293 538779thegatwickschool.org.ukMr David Marillat headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 1 May 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 11 January 2023 | Ungraded | School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next |
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
112 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 | West Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 112 | 111 | 114 | 84 | 49 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 39.7 | 37.4 | 34.8 | 35.4 | 35.9 | 46.6 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.42 | -0.94 | -0.73 | -0.40 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 30% | 28% | 24% | 23% | 16% | 46% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 53% | 55% | 41% | 51% | 47% | 68% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.27 | 3.13 | 3.09 | 2.98 | 2.93 | 4.10 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 21% | 34% | 46% | 39% | 47% | 38% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 28.5 | 33.0 | 25.3 | 28.8 | 31.6 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 43.1 | 38.4 | 38.3 | 37.8 | 37.7 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 28.8 | 19.6 | 29.6 | 23.3 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 54.1 | 58.0 | – | 44.1 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 20 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: Food Preparation & Nutrition (14% here, 52% across England), Art and Design (27% here, 58% across England), Computer Science (26% here, 56% across England), Religious Studies (34% here, 60% 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 | 112 | 12% | 35% | 60% | 53% | 2,762 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 111 | 14% | 41% | 57% | 54% | 2,532 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 108 | 8% | 43% | 60% | 58% | 2,558 of 3,202 |
| Religious Studies | 102 | 11% | 34% | 42% | 60% | 1,684 of 1,825 |
| Combined Science | 84 | 2% | 14% | 32% | 36% | 2,868 of 3,084 |
| Business | 50 | 8% | 38% | 56% | 51% | 1,253 of 1,806 |
| Geography | 47 | 9% | 38% | 51% | 51% | 2,214 of 3,116 |
| History | 46 | 11% | 37% | 52% | 52% | 2,412 of 3,126 |
| Social Studies | 39 | 3% | 41% | 59% | 54% | 774 of 1,043 |
| Spanish | 35 | 26% | 37% | 40% | 54% | 1,548 of 1,941 |
| Art and Design | 30 | 23% | 27% | 37% | 58% | 2,589 of 2,818 |
| Statistics | 26 | 31% | 89% | 100% | 51% | 114 of 375 |
| Physics | 25 | 24% | 76% | 96% | 82% | 1,758 of 2,546 |
| Chemistry | 25 | 20% | 68% | 96% | 81% | 2,001 of 2,537 |
| Biology | 25 | 8% | 64% | 96% | 82% | 2,162 of 2,570 |
| Computer Science | 23 | 9% | 26% | 44% | 56% | 1,667 of 1,861 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 21 | 5% | 14% | 24% | 52% | 1,058 of 1,098 |
| Design & Technology | 20 | 10% | 25% | 65% | 50% | 1,242 of 1,478 |
| Dance | 13 | 0% | 8% | 8% | 58% | – |
| Drama | 13 | 23% | 39% | 54% | 60% | – |
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
57 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 | West Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 57 | 53 | 58 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 59% | 42% | 48% | 59% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 4% | 7% | 6% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 106.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 | 105.6 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 104.0 | 100.0 | 103.0 | 103.9 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 103.0 | 102.0 | 102.0 | 104.1 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 75% | 68% | 62% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 79% | 55% | 62% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 80% | 70% | 64% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -3.3 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -2.6 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 43% | 18% | 18% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 64% | 48% | 55% | – | – |
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.
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 7 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
Admissions policy not published.
About 152 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have fallen by 5% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.
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 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 21.4 pupils (England 26.2); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 22.0 (England 28.2).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (31), language and communications needs (31), Autistic spectrum disorder (24), Specific learning difficulty (21), Moderate learning difficulty (18), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (15).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 861 | 846 | 885 | 935 | 911 | 827 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 21% | 19% | 18% | 19% | 19% | 16% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 33% | 32% | 28% | 28% | 25% | 23% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 14% | 13% | 13% | 12% | 12% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 4% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 1% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.9% 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 | 9.2% | 8.4% | 9.4% | 9.7% | 8.3% | 7.3% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 5.7% | 5.3% | 6.8% | 7.4% | 6.5% | 4.4% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 3.4% | 3.0% | 2.6% | 2.4% | 1.8% | 2.9% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 27.0% | 25.9% | 29.4% | 34.6% | 29.2% | 22.2% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 7.8 | 16.6 | 25.0 | 17.2 | 11.9 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 114 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 84%, compared with 96% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 93% | 96% | 92% | 94% |
| Education | 90% | 88% | 88% | 91% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 2% | 2% | 1% |
| Work | 3% | 6% | 2% | 1% |
| Not in education, work or training | 4% | 2% | 4% | 4% |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forge Wood Primary School | Academy | 720 m | 420 | Not inspected | 9 | Compare |
| Hazelwick School | Academy | 0.9 miles | 1,913 | Outstanding 2023 | 79 | Compare |
| Milton Mount Primary School | Academy | 0.9 miles | 618 | Report card 2026 | 27 | Compare |
| Amberley Court School | Independent | 1.2 miles | 16 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Serenity School Crawley | Independent | 1.3 miles | 205 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Pound Hill Infant Academy | Academy | 1.4 miles | 269 | No overall grade 2025 | 91 | Compare |
| Pound Hill Junior School, Crawley | Council | 1.4 miles | 352 | Good 2024 | 81 | Compare |
| Northgate Primary School | Council | 1.4 miles | 649 | Good 2022 | 10 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares The Gatwick 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.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 35 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 35% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 25 to 47. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. 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% | below | -0.16 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 112 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 2.4 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | below | -0.12 | DfE progress measure; 112 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well above | +0.16 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | -0.01 | 2024/25; 934 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | well below | -0.13 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 112 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | in line | +0.01 | 114 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 The Gatwick School a good school?
The figures are weak. The Gatwick School scores 35 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 42% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 25 to 47, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is The Gatwick School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated The Gatwick School good at its last full inspection on 1 May 2024.
How good are The Gatwick School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 30% 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 39.7, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about half a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How good are The Gatwick School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 59% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 2% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does The Gatwick School have?
861 pupils aged 4 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,020 places, so it is 84% full.
Is The Gatwick School oversubscribed?
Probably not. 152 places were empty in 2024/25 (15% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at The Gatwick School?
Pupils were in school 90.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 27% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at The Gatwick School?
The average class had 23.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 3% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does The Gatwick School have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 93% 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
- 23 Gatwick Road, Crawley, RH10 9TP
- Telephone
- 01293 538779
- Website
- www.thegatwickschool.org.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr David Marillat
- Type of school
- Free school (Free schools, free schools)
- Phase
- All-through school, ages 4-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- Aurora Academies Trust (7 schools)
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Ward
- Three Bridges
- Constituency
- Crawley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2014 (new provision)
- URN
- 141038 · LAESTAB 9384011 · UKPRN 10047037
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.
- 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.