St Oscar Romero Catholic School

St Oscar Romero Catholic School is a highly aspirational secondary school where pupils thrive and all groups make exceptional progress. Inspectors judged the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and the recently opened sixth form to be outstanding. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported exceptionally well, teaching is expert and closely matched to pupils' needs, and pupils behave exemplarily with harmonious relationships. Pupils benefit from a broad curriculum, strong reading and feedback practices, high attendance, and a wide enrichment offer that develops active citizenship and practical experiences. Sixth-form students achieve highly and are fully integrated despite the provision opening only in September 2024; careers guidance and safeguarding are effective. Staff are well supported, governors provide strong challenge and support, and parents are extremely positive. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and no areas for improvement were identified in the report.

Strengths

• Exceptional progress for all groups of pupils from their starting points
• Exemplary support for disadvantaged pupils
• Broad curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils extremely well
• Expert subject knowledge and high-quality teaching across the curriculum
• Effective identification and support for pupils with SEND
• Pupils are highly motivated with excellent attitudes to learning
• Detailed and supportive feedback helps pupils understand and close gaps
• Strong reading and literacy development prioritized across the school
• Exemplary pupil behaviour and respectful, harmonious relationships
• High-quality wider development and enrichment opportunities for all pupils
• Very high attendance rates
• Robust and timely careers guidance prepares pupils well for next steps
• Sixth-form students achieve highly and engage fully in school life
• Staff are well supported through professional development and attention to well-being
• Governors provide highly effective support and challenge
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

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 St Oscar Romero Catholic School attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 14.2% 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, 0.7% of pupils at St Oscar Romero Catholic 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 St Oscar Romero Catholic School had 17.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 3.5% 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, 15.8% of pupils at St Oscar Romero Catholic School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.4% 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 St Oscar Romero Catholic School received £7,578 and spent £7,171 for each of its 1,145 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £888,000 (£775 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 Worthing · West Sussex local authority: places and applications

What is St Oscar Romero Catholic School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Oscar Romero Catholic School is Outstanding, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was St Oscar Romero Catholic School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Oscar Romero Catholic School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does St Oscar Romero Catholic School have?

St Oscar Romero Catholic School has 1,144 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Oscar Romero Catholic School cover?

St Oscar Romero Catholic School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are St Oscar Romero Catholic School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 57.2, and 66% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Oscar Romero Catholic School?

St Oscar Romero Catholic School is at Goring Street, Goring-By-Sea, Worthing, West Sussex, BN12 5AF.