Crofton School, Fareham

Ofsted's report card from its 3 March 2026 inspection grades Crofton School on 6 areas: 2 expected standard and 4 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders identify barriers to attendance for individual pupils and groups."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have designed a comprehensive personal development programme."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as well as their peers nationally in external examinations."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Teaching does not consistently ensure that all pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, learn the curriculum as intended."

Inclusion - Needs attention. "Leaders have not ensured that the planned strategies to support disadvantaged pupils are implemented consistently and effectively across the school."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Leaders understand the strengths and areas for improvement in the school."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that the school's work to improve teaching is embedded consistently across the school so that all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, secure the learning as intended"; "Leaders should ensure that strategies to support disadvantaged pupils are implemented consistently by teachers so that any barriers to learning are reduced and these pupils achieve well"; "Leaders should develop teachers' checking for understanding so that gaps in pupils' knowledge are identified promptly and addressed before new learning is introduced"; "Leaders should ensure that approaches to checking the quality of the school's work are used routinely and effectively to evaluate teaching and curriculum implementation, and that any aspects that need development are acted on swiftly to secure sustained improvement".

In 2026, pupils at Crofton School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.6 in Hampshire and 47 across England.

42% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Hampshire and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 45.3.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.15: pupils made 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 33.4, against 48.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 15 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Art and Design and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 219 families put Crofton School as their first choice and 443 named it as one of their preferences, for 204 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 23 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Crofton School are Bridgemary School (1.3 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 31.4); Fareham Academy (1.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 39.2); King's Academy Brune Park (2.2 miles, Attainment 8 37.2); and Cams Hill School (2.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 51).

Crofton School's 2026 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

Crofton School is one of 8 schools run by Hisp Multi Academy Trust Ltd, an academy trust.

161 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Crofton School (as of April 2026): 79% would recommend the school, 77% say their child is happy there and 60% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (81%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (60%).

Of the 209 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 88% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 38% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

4.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 140 pupils (12.6%) received SEN support and 83 (7.5%) 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 a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.

Crofton School has a resourced provision for autism: 12 places, 12 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Fareham Rail Station, about 2.2 miles away in a straight line.

6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Marks Road (e-bound), 180 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Crofton School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 7th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Crofton School issued 207 suspensions, 18.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to Crofton School are Crofton Hammond Infant School (0.6 miles), Crofton Hammond Junior School (0.6 miles), Crofton Anne Dale Infant and Pre-School (0.7 miles) and Crofton Anne Dale Junior School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.