Thomas Bennett Community College

Thomas Bennett Community College is a larger-than-average secondary school in The Kemnal Academies Trust, with a SEN unit and above-average free school meals. Inspectors found safeguarding standards met and a calm, orderly school where pupils feel safe, relationships are positive, bullying is handled effectively, and personal development is a strength. Pupils benefit from a broad enrichment offer, careers guidance, leadership opportunities and effective pastoral support, and governance is knowledgeable and strategically precise. However, the school is not yet achieving as well as it should. Achievement is a concern over time, with too many pupils—especially disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND—not securing secure knowledge or achieving well in national tests and examinations. Attendance remains too low for these groups and persistent absence is high. Teaching is inconsistent, some SEND support and education plans are not precise enough, and suspensions and exclusions have been above national averages, particularly for pupils with SEND. Post-16 results have also been below national averages over time. Leaders have an accurate understanding of priorities and are taking appropriate action, including improving teaching, attendance and inclusion, but improvements are at an early stage and not yet embedded. The report notes significant leadership changes, including an interim headteacher, and a shorter school week than the DfE expectation. Next steps focus on sustaining improvement, sharpening SEND plans, ensuring consistent curriculum implementation, rigorous attendance work, better pastoral support for SEND behaviour, and strengthening personal development and careers.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe.
• The school is calm and orderly with positive pupil-staff relationships.
• Leaders manage bullying and discrimination effectively.
• The personal development programme is well considered and contextually relevant.
• Pupils access broad enrichment, trips, leadership roles and careers guidance.
• Support for pupils new to English and those known to social care is effective.
• Governance provides precise strategic oversight and holds leaders to account.
• Staff wellbeing is prioritised and professional development aligns with improvement priorities.
• Post-16 students feel well supported and are prepared for next steps.
• Leaders show a deep commitment to inclusion, including in the specially resourced provision and alternative provision.
• Targeted reading and writing support is making a difference for pupils who need it.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' achievement is too low over time, including for disadvantaged and SEND pupils.
• Attendance remains too low, especially for disadvantaged, SEND and persistently absent pupils.
• Teaching quality is inconsistent and teachers do not routinely check understanding or address gaps.
• Some pupils with SEND do not receive the support they need, and education plans lack precise next steps.
• Suspensions and permanent exclusions have been above national averages, particularly for pupils with SEND.
• Post-16 examination results have been below national averages over time.
• Leadership improvements are not yet embedded and progress has been slowed by challenges.
• The school week is shorter than the DfE expectation of at least 32.5 hours.
• Personal development tracking and careers provision need further strengthening.
• Some pupils' attitudes to learning vary, especially where teaching is less effective.

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 Thomas Bennett Community College attended 88.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 32.1% 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, 13.7% of pupils at Thomas Bennett Community College were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 7 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 Thomas Bennett Community College had 28.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 65.9% 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, 16.0% of pupils at Thomas Bennett Community College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has a SEN unit with 2 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 Thomas Bennett Community College received £8,516 and spent £8,914 for each of its 1,266 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £568,000 (£449 per pupil).

Across all 45 schools of The Kemnal Academies Trust, income was £8,501 and spending £8,452 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 Crawley · West Sussex local authority: places and applications

Thomas Bennett Community College is part of The Kemnal Academies Trust, which runs 45 schools. The nearest others:

• Broadfield Primary Academy Crawley
• Hilltop Primary School Crawley
• Seymour Primary School Crawley
• The Oaks Primary School & Nursery Crawley
• The Bewbush Academy Crawley
• The Mill Primary Academy Crawley
• Weyfield Primary Academy Guildford
• Gray's Farm Primary Academy Orpington
• Kemnal Technology College Sidcup
• Orchards Academy Swanley

What is Thomas Bennett Community College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Thomas Bennett Community College is Needs attention, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Thomas Bennett Community College last inspected by Ofsted?

Thomas Bennett Community College was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Thomas Bennett Community College have?

Thomas Bennett Community College has 1,261 pupils on roll.

What age range does Thomas Bennett Community College cover?

Thomas Bennett Community College for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Thomas Bennett Community College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 37.4, and 28% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Thomas Bennett Community College?

Thomas Bennett Community College is at Ashdown Drive, Tilgate, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 5AD.