Horndean Technology College

Horndean Technology College is a secondary comprehensive school that is performing strongly. Inspectors found pupils are proud of their school, behave well and feel safe, with calm and positive relationships between pupils and staff. The school's personal development and leadership and management were judged outstanding, while quality of education and behaviour and attitudes were good. This was the first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and the previous inspection grade was good. The school has a clear vision for a broad and comprehensive education, and leaders and governors work closely together. The curriculum is innovative and personalised, teaching has improved rapidly, and pupils with SEND, including those in the specially resourced autism provision, flourish. Reading is prioritised, staff training is highly effective, and careers education is thoughtful and ambitious. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The main area for improvement is consistency in curriculum implementation. In some lessons, activity choices do not always ensure pupils systematically learn the planned curriculum, and the school should continue refining how it checks the implementation and impact of the curriculum.

Strengths

• Pupils are proud of their school and have consistently positive attitudes to learning.
• The school has a calm atmosphere with strong, positive relationships between pupils and staff.
• Pupils are highly respectful, feel safe and are happy at school.
• Pastoral systems are well developed and pupils know where to get help.
• Student Leaders are active and pupils contribute strongly to the wider school community.
• Leaders and governors share a clear vision for a broad and comprehensive education.
• Academic and pastoral teams work in an integrated way to support every pupil.
• The curriculum is innovative, flexible and highly personalised to pupils' strengths and interests.
• A focused effort to improve teaching has successfully raised standards across the school.
• Pupils are articulate and develop strong oracy and reasoning through regular discussion.
• Pupils with SEND flourish, including those in the specially resourced autism provision.
• Reading is prioritised and pupils who need extra help are well supported.
• Staff training is highly effective and helps staff become specialists in their roles.
• Personal development provision is extremely strong and integrated into all aspects of school life.
• Careers education is thoughtful, well matched to pupils' needs and encourages high ambition.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Some inconsistencies in curriculum implementation mean staff do not always make the most of structures supporting pupils' education.
• Activity choice in some lessons does not always ensure pupils systematically learn the planned curriculum.
• The school should continue to refine how it checks the implementation and impact of the curriculum.

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 Horndean Technology College attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 15.7% 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, 3.5% of pupils at Horndean Technology College 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 Horndean Technology College had 16.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.1% 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, 12.0% of pupils at Horndean Technology College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 17 pupils.

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 Horndean Technology College received £8,866 and spent £8,877 for each of its 1,290 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £907,000 (£703 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

All schools in Waterlooville · Hampshire local authority: places and applications

What is Horndean Technology College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Horndean Technology College is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Horndean Technology College last inspected by Ofsted?

Horndean Technology College was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Horndean Technology College have?

Horndean Technology College has 1,288 pupils on roll.

What age range does Horndean Technology College cover?

Horndean Technology College for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Horndean Technology College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 47.7, and 41% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Horndean Technology College?

Horndean Technology College is at Barton Cross, Horndean, Waterlooville, Hampshire, PO8 9PQ.