The Cowplain School

The Cowplain School is demonstrating a good overall performance, with notable strengths in its supportive and respectful environment. Pupils are motivated and benefit from strong staff relationships that foster a safe and happy learning atmosphere. While the school has high expectations and offers various extracurricular activities that enrich pupils' development, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has notably affected the academic results in 2023, particularly for Year 11 students. Despite these challenges, the school is actively working to improve the educational experience for all students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• Pupils thrive in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
• There is a strong commitment to respect and celebrate diversity.
• Staff provide effective support for pupils' personal development.
• The curriculum has undergone significant improvements.
• Strong subject knowledge among staff enhances lesson delivery.
• Pupils receive unbiased careers advice, preparing them for future paths.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent assessment of pupils' knowledge affects learning.
• Some off-task behavior goes unaddressed in lessons.
• Leaders lack precise understanding of curriculum implementation across staff.

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 The Cowplain School attended 90.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 27.9% 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, 8.6% of pupils at The Cowplain 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 The Cowplain School had 17.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.7% 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, 18.0% of pupils at The Cowplain School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 8 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 2024–25 The Cowplain School received £8,343 and spent £7,931 for each of its 1,015 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,126,000 (£2,095 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

What is The Cowplain School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Cowplain School is Good, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was The Cowplain School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Cowplain School was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does The Cowplain School have?

The Cowplain School has 993 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Cowplain School cover?

The Cowplain School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are The Cowplain School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 40.1, and 36% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Cowplain School?

The Cowplain School is at Hart Plain Avenue, Cowplain, Waterlooville, Hampshire, PO8 8RY.