Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #4 in Brighton and Hove public Top 13% UK

Cardinal Newman Catholic School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMs Claire Jarman

location_onHove, BN3 6ND

language Visit Website phone 1273558551

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2024

groups

Students

2,497

trending_up

Attainment 8

50.4

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GCSE Rank

#4 in Brighton and Hove

#886 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Cardinal Newman Catholic School is a Voluntary aided school secondary school in Hove, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.3×) — apply through your local authority on time.

article

School Summary

Cardinal Newman Catholic School is a voluntary aided school in Hove, Brighton and Hove, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. The school has approximately 2,625 pupils on roll, of whom 21% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 50.4, placing the school #4 in Brighton and Hove and #886 of 3,216 nationally. 47.90% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 25.9% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 37 A-level subjects. 59.9% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 30.1% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.31 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2024. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Outstanding, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Outstanding.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.3× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 15.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 4.1 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

50.4

Grade 5+ E&M

47.90%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)25.9%

Entering EBacc34.00%

EBacc APS4.46

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.56

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

54.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc34.10%

EBacc APS4.79

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.15

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc37%

EBacc APS4.59

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.41

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc39%

EBacc APS4.96

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc45%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.01

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc53%

EBacc APS4.71

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.31

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

53.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc54%

EBacc APS4.93

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)92%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)94%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)95%

ApprenticeshipsSP%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)97%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)93%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

+0.31

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils do significantly better than expected at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

201

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*11.7%

Achieving A*–A30.1%

Achieving A*–B59.9%

VA Banding Above average

Retention rate94.5%

A-level subjects offered37

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.2

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

224

Retention rate95.10%

2023

Avg Grade

B-

Students

210

Retention rate98.60%

2022

Avg Grade

B+

Students

225

Retention rate96.4%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

08 October 2024

Inspection Report

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16 May 2023

Inspection Report

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30 January 2018

Inspection Report

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23 January 2017

Inspection Report

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09 December 2015

Inspection Report

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23 May 2012

Inspection Report

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07 January 2011

Inspection Report

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11 February 2009

Inspection Report

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07 November 2007

Inspection Report

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27 September 2004

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

5 Evaluations

2024-10-08

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Outstanding

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2018-01-30

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2017-01-23

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2015-12-09

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2012-05-23

None Legacy

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

3.8%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.7%(71 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 2,625 pupils. During this period, there were 100 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 3.8%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	2,625	100	3.8%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	2,637	118	4.5%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	2,484	84	3.4%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	2,507	87	3.5%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	2,511	78	3.1%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	2,487	98	3.9%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	2,497	84	3.4%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	2,513	68	2.7%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	2,446	65	2.7%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	2,450	63	2.6%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	2,468	64	2.6%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	2,444	51	2.1%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	2,452	18	0.7%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	2,447	128	5.2%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	2,378	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	2,378	56	2.4%	3.2%	1
2019/20 (Autumn term)	2,381	70	2.9%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	2,283	58	2.5%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	2,302	60	2.6%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	2,300	63	2.7%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	2,248	77	3.4%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	2,259	57	2.5%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	2,257	70	3.1%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	2,267	48	2.1%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	2,272	35	1.5%	3.3%	2
2016/17 (Autumn term)	2,288	56	2.4%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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psychology_alt

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Specific Learning Difficulty 179 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 132 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 96 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 32 pupils

Physical Disability 31 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 4 pupils

Hearing Impairment 4 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

95.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

95.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

20.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree58%

agree35%

disagree4%

strongly disagree1%

don't know2%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree45%

agree41%

disagree10%

strongly disagree2%

don't know3%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree47%

agree17%

disagree5%

strongly disagree3%

don't know1%

not applicable26%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes23%

no77%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree46%

agree35%

disagree6%

strongly disagree11%

dont know2%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree59%

agree33%

disagree3%

strongly disagree1%

don't know4%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree56%

agree37%

disagree3%

strongly disagree1%

don't know3%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree55%

agree37%

disagree5%

strongly disagree1%

don't know2%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree77%

agree23%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree73%

agree24%

disagree2%

strongly disagree1%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree57%

agree32%

disagree3%

strongly disagree2%

don't know6%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes95%

no5%

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School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Faith Priority (Roman Catholic)

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

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Dorothy Stringer School

King's School

Blatchington Mill School

Varndean School

Patcham High School

Portslade Aldridge Community Academy