Cove School, Farnborough

From the headteacher's welcome: "It is a huge privilege and a source of great pride to welcome you to Cove School as Headteacher. Having known the school and the local community for many years, I feel incredibly fortunate to now lead such a special school."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, rugby, tennis, basketball, choir, STEM, gardening, Duke of Edinburgh and Spanish.

Coming up: an admissions event on Monday 9 November 2026, an admissions event on Thursday 12 November 2026 and an open day on Friday 27 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at Cove School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 39.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.6 in Hampshire and 47 across England.

32% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Hampshire and 47% in England.

That is down from 42.7 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.74: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 32.6, against 42.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 9.6 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 142 families put Cove School as their first choice and 272 named it as one of their preferences, for 179 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Cove School are Bohunt Farnborough (1.2 miles, Attainment 8 41.2); Kings International College (2 miles, Attainment 8 40.2); The Wavell School (2.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.7); and Frogmore Community College (2.7 miles, Attainment 8 45.2).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Cove School.

109 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Cove School (as of September 2025): 72% would recommend the school, 74% say their child is happy there and 52% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (79%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (52%).

Of the 193 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 82% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 44% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 4% into work.

In 2026, 372 pupils (36.9%) received SEN support and 68 (6.8%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.

Cove School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment: 6 places, 5 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Farnborough (Main) Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.

9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Twelve Acre Crescent (se-bound), 140 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 180 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Hampshire (72), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Cove School issued 355 suspensions, 35.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 5 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Cove School are Cove Infant School (0.1 miles), Cove Junior School (0.1 miles), Manor Junior School (0.3 miles) and Manor Infant School (0.3 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.