Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #26 in West Sussex public Top 28% UK

The Sir Robert Woodard Academy

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

personMr Kieran Scanlon

corporate_fareWOODARD ACADEMIES TRUST

location_onSompting, BN15 9QZ

language Visit Website phone 1903767434

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2021

groups

Students

1,380

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Attainment 8

42.1

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GCSE Rank

#28 in West Sussex

#2,228 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

The Sir Robert Woodard Academy is a Academy sponsor led secondary school in Sompting, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

The Sir Robert Woodard Academy is an academy sponsor led in Sompting, West Sussex, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of WOODARD ACADEMIES TRUST. The school has approximately 1,412 pupils on roll, of whom 19% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 42.1, placing the school #28 in West Sussex and #2,228 of 3,216 nationally. 37.60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 11.0% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 13 A-level subjects. 23.1% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 7.7% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.23 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2021. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.9× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 2 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 3.0 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

42.1

Grade 5+ E&M

37.60%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)11.0%

Entering EBacc76.40%

EBacc APS4.14

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.18

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc77.90%

EBacc APS4.35

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.30

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc71%

EBacc APS3.96

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.24

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc81%

EBacc APS4.2

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc78%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.41

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc29%

EBacc APS3.55

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.39

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

40.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc25%

EBacc APS3.37

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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

90%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)83%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

90%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)81%

Apprenticeships6%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)89%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment7%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

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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

-0.23

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*1.3%

Achieving A*–A7.7%

Achieving A*–B23.1%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate88.6%

A-level subjects offered13

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.02

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate89.70%

2023

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Retention rate94.60%

2022

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate93.9%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

19 October 2021

Inspection Report

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15 July 2021

Inspection Report

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27 January 2021

Inspection Report

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26 November 2020

Inspection Report

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04 July 2019

Inspection Report

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30 January 2018

Inspection Report

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08 December 2015

Inspection Report

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01 October 2013

Inspection Report

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08 May 2013

Inspection Report

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30 January 2013

Inspection Report

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12 September 2012

Inspection Report

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02 May 2012

Inspection Report

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23 November 2011

Inspection Report

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16 November 2010

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

5 Evaluations

2021-10-19

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 3 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2019-07-04

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2018-01-30

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 2 Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2015-12-08

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2013-10-01

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

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

2.8%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.0%(28 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 1,412 pupils. During this period, there were 39 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 2.8%, 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)	1,412	39	2.8%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,428	47	3.3%	7.8%	2
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,368	55	4.0%	7.4%	1
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,376	82	6.0%	7.1%	2
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,386	81	5.8%	8.2%	3
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,361	48	3.5%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,380	72	5.2%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,398	58	4.1%	5.9%	4
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,266	60	4.7%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,287	60	4.7%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,294	62	4.8%	4.4%	2
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,165	39	3.3%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,170	18	1.5%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,173	47	4.0%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,084	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,084	25	2.3%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,091	50	4.6%	4.2%	4
2018/19 (Summer term)	964	25	2.6%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	974	41	4.2%	3.8%	2
2018/19 (Autumn term)	970	68	7.0%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	978	54	5.5%	3.4%	3
2017/18 (Spring term)	983	33	3.4%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	989	29	2.9%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	978	27	2.8%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	989	46	4.7%	3.3%	3
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,001	24	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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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 126 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 52 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 42 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 40 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 25 pupils

Physical Disability 8 pupils

Hearing Impairment 6 pupils

Visual Impairment 4 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 3 pupils

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The Sir Robert Woodard Academy

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 (Christian)

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)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in West Sussex

Downlands Community School

St Paul's Catholic College

St Oscar Romero Catholic School

Shoreham Academy

Tanbridge House School

St Philip Howard Catholic School