Hove Park School and Sixth Form Centre, Hove

Ofsted's report card from its 27 January 2026 inspection grades Hove Park School and Sixth Form Centre on 7 areas: 2 strong standard, 4 expected standard and 1 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Inclusion is at the heart of the school's work."

Post 16 provision - Strong standard. "Leaders have designed a bespoke provision that meets the complex needs of a very small group of students very effectively."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils typically learn the skills and knowledge they need."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders know the school well."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have a detailed understanding of the school and its changing context."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The school has designed an ambitious programme that extends beyond the classroom."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Attendance is beginning to improve."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "• Leaders should continue to strengthen and embed their attendance strategies so that persistent absence reduces for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, ensuring these pupils attend school more regularly and do not miss important learning time. • Leaders need to ensure that staff carry out precise checks on pupils' learning in all subjects, so that pupils' next steps in learning are clearly identified and build securely on what they already know".

In 2026, pupils at Hove Park School and Sixth Form Centre averaged an Attainment 8 score of 42, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.7 in Brighton and Hove and 47 across England.

40% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 47% in Brighton and Hove and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 41.1.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.13: 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 30.8, against 48.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 17.6 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Art and Design.

For September 2026 entry, 92 families put Hove Park School and Sixth Form Centre as their first choice and 706 named it as one of their preferences, for 135 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 Hove Park School and Sixth Form Centre are Blatchington Mill School (0.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 52.5); Cardinal Newman Catholic School (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 50.9); King's School (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 56.5); and Dorothy Stringer School (1.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.5).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Hove Park School and Sixth Form Centre.

178 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Hove Park School and Sixth Form Centre (as of April 2026): 89% would recommend the school, 83% say their child is happy there and 62% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (89%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (62%).

Of the 222 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 20% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 14 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 43% went on to university or other higher education, 7% to apprenticeships and 7% into work.

36.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 26.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (65%), Asian (9%) and Mixed (9%).

In 2026, 234 pupils (24.9%) received SEN support and 89 (9.5%) 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 autism.

Hove Park School and Sixth Form Centre has a resourced provision for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and autism: 50 places, 50 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Aldrington Rail Station, about 570 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).

12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Greyhound Stadium (w-bound), 90 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Hove Park School and Sixth Form Centre stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Hove Park School and Sixth Form Centre issued 299 suspensions, 31.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Hove Park School and Sixth Form Centre are Aldrington CofE Primary School (0.2 miles), Bilingual Primary School - Brighton & Hove (0.3 miles), Goldstone Primary School (0.6 miles) and Hove Junior School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.