King's School

King's School is a highly inclusive Church of England secondary school performing strongly across almost all areas. Inspectors found achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing all at the strong standard, with safeguarding requirements met. Pupils in the main school achieve well above national averages, attendance is well above average, behaviour is positive, and pupils with SEND or disadvantage are supported exceptionally well. The school is part of The Russell Education Trust and serves a community with a higher-than-average proportion of pupils with EHC plans and SEN support, alongside above-average location deprivation.

Strengths

• Pupils in the main school achieve consistently well above national averages
• Attendance is consistently above national averages, including for pupils facing barriers
• Behaviour and attitudes to learning are strong, with a positive and harmonious atmosphere
• The curriculum is wide, ambitious and logically sequenced
• Teaching is typically expert, with effective questioning and swift support for misconceptions
• Inclusion is highly effective for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and vulnerable pupils
• Leaders have an accurate, ambitious vision and use evidence well to drive improvement
• Personal development, pastoral care and careers guidance are comprehensive and effective
• Sixth-form students are well known, well supported and go on to meaningful destinations
• Staff are proud to work at the school and parents are highly positive
• Safeguarding standards are met
• Governors and trustees are well informed and carry out statutory duties effectively

Areas for Improvement

• Sixth-form outcomes in 2025 were below national averages, including A-level average point score and value added
• Sixth-form provision is rated expected standard, and achievement there is lower than in the rest of the school
• A few teachers do not consistently check pupils' understanding or address misconceptions quickly
• Governance is rated expected standard rather than strong
• The school is consulting on the financial sustainability and possible closure of the sixth form

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 King's School attended 93.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 17.4% 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, 3.1% of pupils at King's 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 King's School had 17.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.3% 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, 22.5% of pupils at King's School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.4% 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 2024–25 King's School received £7,569 and spent £7,521 for each of its 905 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,158,000 (£1,279 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Russell Education Trust, income was £7,154 and spending £7,208 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 Hove · Brighton and Hove local authority: places and applications

King's School is part of Russell Education Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Turing House School Twickenham
• St Andrew the Apostle Greek Orthodox School London
• Becket Keys Church of England Free School Brentwood
• Elmlea Infant School Bristol
• Elmlea Junior School Bristol
• Bristol Free School Bristol

What is King's School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for King's School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was King's School last inspected by Ofsted?

King's School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does King's School have?

King's School has 925 pupils on roll.

What age range does King's School cover?

King's School for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are King's School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 56.5, and 60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is King's School?

King's School is at Hangleton Way, Hove, BN3 8BN.