West Sussex local authority: school places and applications
88% of families in West Sussex local authority were offered their first-choice secondary school for September 2026, against 84% across England. 92% got their first-choice primary (England: 92%). West Sussex local authority is responsible for 336 schools in South East.
Reception applications and offers in West Sussex local authority
Families applying through West Sussex local authority for a primary school place, by the September the children start. The council tells the DfE how many families were offered their first choice, one of their top three, or no school at all.
| Starting | Applications | First choice | England | One of top three | No offer | Offered a school in another council |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 8,127 | 92.4% | 92.4% | 99.2% | 0.0% | 1.4% |
| September 2025 | 8,398 | 91.7% | 92.6% | 98.8% | 0.0% | 1.2% |
| September 2024 | 8,355 | 92.7% | 93.2% | 99.2% | 0.0% | 1.4% |
| September 2023 | 8,675 | 91.4% | 92.5% | 98.5% | 0.0% | 1.1% |
| September 2022 | 8,794 | 91.2% | 92.2% | 98.6% | 0.0% | 1.0% |
| September 2021 | 8,844 | 91.5% | 91.8% | 98.6% | 0.0% | 0.9% |
| September 2020 | 9,122 | 90.8% | 90.2% | 98.4% | 0.0% | 1.2% |
| September 2019 | 9,057 | 91.1% | 90.6% | 98.9% | 0.1% | 1.2% |
Year 7 applications and offers in West Sussex local authority
Families applying through West Sussex local authority for a secondary school place, by the September the children start. The council tells the DfE how many families were offered their first choice, one of their top three, or no school at all.
| Starting | Applications | First choice | England | One of top three | No offer | Offered a school in another council |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 8,765 | 87.5% | 83.6% | 97.6% | 0.0% | 2.2% |
| September 2025 | 8,914 | 87.8% | 83.5% | 97.4% | 0.1% | 2.0% |
| September 2024 | 8,963 | 87.1% | 82.9% | 98.1% | 0.0% | 1.9% |
| September 2023 | 9,302 | 87.0% | 82.6% | 96.5% | 0.1% | 2.0% |
| September 2022 | 9,406 | 87.8% | 83.3% | 97.4% | 0.0% | 2.1% |
| September 2021 | 9,133 | 88.2% | 81.1% | 97.2% | 0.1% | 1.9% |
| September 2020 | 9,112 | 86.9% | 82.2% | 97.1% | 0.1% | 1.6% |
| September 2019 | 9,156 | 84.3% | 80.9% | 96.4% | 0.1% | 2.1% |
Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers. These are council-wide figures; how hard an individual school is to get into is on each school's page.
Primary schools in West Sussex local authority compared with England
| West Sussex | England average | |
|---|---|---|
| State-funded primary schools | 225 | – |
| Rated Good or better by Ofsted | 83% | 80% |
| Reading, writing and maths at the expected standard (%), average school (2025) | 59.1 | 63.2 |
| Sessions missed to absence (2024/25) | 5.2% | 5.2% |
Secondary schools in West Sussex local authority compared with England
| West Sussex | England average | |
|---|---|---|
| State-funded secondary schools | 37 | – |
| Rated Good or better by Ofsted | 77% | 72% |
| Attainment 8, average school (2026) | 47.4 | 47.3 |
| Sessions missed to absence (2024/25) | 8.7% | 8.6% |
Averages are across schools, not pupils, so every school counts equally. Ofsted shares use each school's latest published grade.
Expected primary pupil numbers in West Sussex local authority
West Sussex local authority expects primary numbers to fall by 4.0% between 2024/25 and 2029/30.
| School year | Primary pupils | Reception pupils |
|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 (actual) | 63,750 | 8,530 |
| 2025/26 (forecast) | 63,483 | 8,627 |
| 2026/27 (forecast) | 63,164 | 8,566 |
| 2027/28 (forecast) | 63,038 | 8,243 |
| 2028/29 (forecast) | 62,173 | 8,063 |
| 2029/30 (forecast) | 61,211 | 8,047 |
Expected secondary pupil numbers in West Sussex local authority
West Sussex local authority expects secondary numbers to rise by 3.4% between 2024/25 and 2031/32.
| School year | Secondary pupils | Year 7 pupils |
|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 (actual) | 50,562 | 9,276 |
| 2025/26 (forecast) | 51,067 | 9,297 |
| 2026/27 (forecast) | 51,797 | 9,453 |
| 2027/28 (forecast) | 52,708 | 9,583 |
| 2028/29 (forecast) | 52,937 | 9,531 |
| 2029/30 (forecast) | 52,992 | 9,443 |
| 2030/31 (forecast) | 52,876 | 9,348 |
| 2031/32 (forecast) | 52,281 | 9,103 |
Source: council forecasts submitted to the DfE school capacity survey (SCAP). Forecasts are estimates and are revised each year.
Schools by town in West Sussex local authority
Ranked schools, with Ofsted ratings and results, for each town in West Sussex local authority:
- Mid Sussex 63 schools
- Chichester 57 schools
- Horsham 51 schools
- Arun 46 schools
- Crawley 44 schools
- Worthing 39 schools
- Haywards Heath 26 schools
- Adur 20 schools
- Bognor Regis 17 schools
- Littlehampton 15 schools
- Burgess Hill 12 schools
- East Grinstead 12 schools
- Pulborough 11 schools
- Arundel 9 schools
- Emsworth 8 schools
- Shoreham-By-Sea 8 schools
- Hassocks 7 schools
- Lancing 7 schools
- Billingshurst 6 schools