Blatchington Mill School

Blatchington Mill School is a large secondary school that is performing at the expected standard overall, with inclusion judged strong and safeguarding standards met. Leaders have faced significant challenges since the last inspection, including a devastating fire, but they have successfully implemented many improvements to academic outcomes. Pupils are proud to be part of the school community, most achieve well in national examinations, and they are well prepared for further education, employment and training. The school excels in inclusion, providing effective support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, including well-resourced alternative provision and strong transition work. Behaviour is typically calm and orderly, bullying is rare, and pupils benefit from a wide range of personal development and extracurricular opportunities. Staff are positive about the professional culture and training they receive. However, attendance remains low and persistent absence is high, particularly for vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils; the attendance strategy is not yet consistently embedded. Teaching is generally strong but checks on learning are inconsistent in some areas, leading to variation in pupils' understanding and work accuracy. Achievement is uneven in a small number of key stage 4 subjects, and the careers programme is still developing, with variable work experience and limited integration into the wider curriculum.

Strengths

• Strong inclusive culture that ensures pupils feel they belong to the 'Blatch community'.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including expert assistance and external professional support.
• Well-resourced alternative provision that helps pupils engage with learning and improve attendance.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve well and additional funding is used effectively to remove barriers.
• Cohesive and carefully sequenced curriculum that is regularly updated to meet pupils' needs.
• Pupils generally achieve well in national examinations, including English and mathematics.
• Strong leadership and governance, with ambitious leaders and effective supportive challenge from governors.
• Calm and orderly behaviour, rare bullying, and effective targeted support that has reduced suspensions.
• Wide range of extracurricular clubs and personal development opportunities, with high participation among disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils are well prepared for their next steps in education, employment and training.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
• Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the professional culture and development programme.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance is low and persistent absence is high, particularly for vulnerable, disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Processes to improve attendance are not consistently embedded, and some families need further support to attend well.
• Checks on pupils' learning are inconsistent in some areas, limiting teachers' ability to address gaps and misconceptions quickly.
• Achievement at key stage 4 is uneven in a small number of subjects.
• Careers education is developing: work experience is variable and careers learning is not woven into the whole-school curriculum.
• Some aspects of attendance improvement work require more cohesive planning to reduce persistent absenteeism.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Blatchington Mill School attended 88.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 32.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 6.4% of pupils at Blatchington Mill School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Blatchington Mill School had 19.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 15.0% of pupils at Blatchington Mill School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Blatchington Mill School received £7,875 and spent £8,011 for each of its 1,629 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £271,000 (£166 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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What is Blatchington Mill School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Blatchington Mill School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Blatchington Mill School last inspected by Ofsted?

Blatchington Mill School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Blatchington Mill School have?

Blatchington Mill School has 1,622 pupils on roll.

What age range does Blatchington Mill School cover?

Blatchington Mill School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Blatchington Mill School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 52.5, and 57% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Blatchington Mill School?

Blatchington Mill School is at Nevill Avenue, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 7BW.