Chichester High School

Chichester High School is a larger-than-average 11–18 mixed comprehensive and part of The Kemnal Academies Trust. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and followed recent leadership changes, including the appointment of two co-headteachers in June 2024. Inspectors found a positive, respectful culture in which pupils are happy, feel safe and talk about their school with pride; behaviour is consistently positive, attendance is improving and safeguarding is effective. Leaders have a clear sense of direction and have secured rapid improvements in a relatively short time, with staff feeling supported and trust support helping curriculum development. The curriculum is carefully sequenced and ambitious in most subjects, and teachers adapt lessons well, although implementation is still variable and not all pupils or groups make sufficient progress. Disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND are identified and supported well, reading and literacy are strongly promoted, and careers guidance is highly effective. The sixth form is exceptionally strong, with high outcomes, consistently high attendance and extensive academic and enrichment opportunities. The main areas for further work are the low EBacc take-up, particularly in languages, and developing parental confidence and engagement, with some parents feeling negative or uninformed. Personal development is carefully structured and supports pupils’ confidence and resilience, though it is not yet fully embedded; extra-curricular provision is impressive. The school is actively addressing curriculum variability, EBacc uptake and parental relationships, but these actions have not yet had full impact.

Strengths

• Positive and respectful school culture where pupils feel happy and safe
• Strong, supportive relationships between staff and pupils
• Consistently positive behaviour with swift handling of low-level disruption
• Carefully structured personal development programme building confidence and resilience
• Impressive breadth, quality and take-up of extra-curricular activities and trips
• Carefully sequenced and ambitious curriculum across most subjects
• Effective support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND
• Improving attendance and reducing persistent absence
• Strong literacy and reading support, especially in the lower school
• Highly effective careers guidance and preparation for next steps
• Outstanding sixth-form provision with high outcomes and strong support
• Clear leadership direction and rapid improvements, with staff feeling supported
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation remains variable, so not all pupils and groups make sufficient progress
• EBacc take-up is well below national averages, driven by low language uptake
• Some parents feel negative about the school or uninformed about its intentions
• Parental engagement and confidence are not yet secure
• The personal development programme is not yet fully embedded
• Cross-curricular numeracy is not always highlighted sufficiently

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 Chichester High School attended 89.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 34.0% 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, 11.4% of pupils at Chichester High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 8 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 Chichester High School had 17.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.9% 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, 16.7% of pupils at Chichester High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.2% 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 Chichester High School received £7,408 and spent £7,774 for each of its 1,261 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £566,000 (£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 Chichester · West Sussex local authority: places and applications

Chichester High School is part of The Kemnal Academies Trust, which runs 45 schools. The nearest others:

• Portfield Primary Academy West Sussex
• Tangmere Primary Academy Chichester
• The Academy, Selsey Chichester
• Seal Primary Academy Selsey
• Havant Academy Havant
• Front Lawn Primary Academy Havant
• Miltoncross Academy Portsmouth
• Bridgemary School Gosport
• The Bewbush Academy Crawley
• Weyfield Primary Academy Guildford

What is Chichester High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Chichester High School is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Chichester High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Chichester High School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Chichester High School have?

Chichester High School has 1,191 pupils on roll.

What age range does Chichester High School cover?

Chichester High School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Chichester High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.0, and 39% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Chichester High School?

Chichester High School is at Kingsham Road, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8EB.