Dorothy Stringer School, Brighton

In its own words: "Please click on the images below to read about each of our three core values. At Dorothy Stringer School, we are proud of the wide range of opportunities we offer our students, both in and beyond the classroom."

From the headteacher's welcome: "Dorothy Stringer is a happy, inclusive and ambitious learning community where young people are known, valued and encouraged to take an active part in school life. Inside and beyond the classroom, our students are supported to grow in confidence, curiosity and character, within a nurturing environment that recognises and responds to every individual’s needs."

On phones, the school says: "A mobile phone free school Rationale Many parents and carers share concerns about the use of mobile phones and the pressures on young people to have one."

In 2026, pupils at Dorothy Stringer School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 50.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.7 in Brighton and Hove and 47 across England.

52% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 47% in Brighton and Hove and 47% in England.

That is down from 53.3 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.11: pupils made above 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 34.6, against 55.1 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 20.5 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 27 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Spanish.

For September 2026 entry, 290 families put Dorothy Stringer School as their first choice and 1065 named it as one of their preferences, for 319 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 37 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Dorothy Stringer School are Varndean School (0.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 54.7); Patcham High School (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.7); Cardinal Newman Catholic School (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 50.9); and Blatchington Mill School (1.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 52.5).

Dorothy Stringer School's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

Of the 325 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 90% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 15% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

11.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (64%), Mixed (14%) and Asian (5%).

The nearest railway station is Preston Park Rail Station, about 860 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).

7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Dorothy Stringer School Grounds (in), 140 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Dorothy Stringer School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 245 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Brighton and Hove (366).

In 2024/25, Dorothy Stringer School issued 122 suspensions, 7.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to Dorothy Stringer School are Balfour Primary School (0.2 miles), St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles), Downs Junior School (0.8 miles) and Stanford Primary School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.