St Philip Howard Catholic School

St Philip Howard Catholic School demonstrates strong overall performance with a focus on high educational standards and a supportive learning environment. Pupils make substantial progress from low or average starting points, achieving well above national averages, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds and with special educational needs. The curriculum is ambitious and well-structured, promoting literacy development and preparing students effectively for future opportunities in education and employment. Moreover, the school displays a strong commitment to safeguarding and fostering a positive school culture where pupils feel safe and valued.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve very well across subjects.
• Curriculum is ambitious and logically sequenced.
• High expectations for attendance and behavior are promoted.
• Effective actions are taken to support pupils with barriers to learning.
• Strong focus on inclusion that benefits all students.
• Excellent leadership and governance contribute to sustained school improvements.
• Sixth-form students receive high-quality support and guidance for their future.

Areas for Improvement

• Learning retention in personal development and careers education for key stage 4 is insufficient.

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 Philip Howard Catholic School attended 93.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 16.6% 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, 3.8% of pupils at St Philip Howard 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 Philip Howard Catholic School had 17.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.7% 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, 16.6% of pupils at St Philip Howard Catholic School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.1% 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 St Philip Howard Catholic School received £7,680 and spent £8,434 for each of its 1,304 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £314,000 (£241 per pupil).

Across all 13 schools of Bosco Catholic Education Trust, income was £6,193 and spending £6,300 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 Bognor Regis · West Sussex local authority: places and applications

St Philip Howard Catholic School is part of Bosco Catholic Education Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• St Mary's Catholic Primary School Bognor Regis
• St Philip's Catholic Primary School Arundel
• St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Littlehampton Littlehampton
• St Richard's Catholic Primary School Chichester
• St Wilfrids Catholic Primary School Littlehampton
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School Worthing
• St Peter's Catholic Primary School Shoreham-By-Sea
• St Robert Southwell Catholic Primary School, Horsham Horsham
• St Paul's Catholic College Burgess Hill
• St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School Burgess Hill

What is St Philip Howard Catholic School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Philip Howard Catholic School is Expected standard, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was St Philip Howard Catholic School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Philip Howard Catholic School was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does St Philip Howard Catholic School have?

St Philip Howard Catholic School has 1,322 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Philip Howard Catholic School cover?

St Philip Howard Catholic School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are St Philip Howard Catholic School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 53.0, and 56% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Philip Howard Catholic School?

St Philip Howard Catholic School is at Elm Grove South, Barnham, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO22 0EN.