St Paul's Catholic College, Burgess Hill

In its own words: "Every student at St Paul’s is encouraged to become the person God calls them to be. Our faith isn’t just taught, it’s experienced in how we learn, how we care, how we grow, and how we support one another every day."

From the headteacher's welcome: "It is my absolute pleasure to welcome you to St Paul’s Catholic College. We are a vibrant, high-achieving Catholic school where every student is known, valued and supported to flourish. We are proud to be a community shaped by Gospel values, where learning goes hand-in-hand with care, compassion and a strong sense of purpose."

In 2026, pupils at St Paul's Catholic College averaged an Attainment 8 score of 57.8, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.2 in West Sussex and 47 across England.

68% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 47% in West Sussex and 47% in England.

That is up from 55.5 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.53: pupils made well 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 40.9, against 59.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 18.8 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 268 families put St Paul's Catholic College as their first choice and 657 named it as one of their preferences, for 173 places offered. That is 1.5 first choices for every place. 98 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to St Paul's Catholic College are The Burgess Hill Academy (1.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.7); Warden Park Secondary Academy (2.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 55); Downlands Community School (3.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 58.3); and Oathall Community College (3.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 51.3).

St Paul's Catholic College's 2026 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

St Paul's Catholic College is one of 18 schools run by Bosco Catholic Education Trust, an academy trust.

Of the 178 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 92% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 20% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 115 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 52% went on to university or other higher education, 2% to apprenticeships and 22% into work. 22% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

7.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 189 pupils (16.3%) received SEN support and 28 (2.4%) 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.

The nearest railway station is Burgess Hill Rail Station, about 1.5 miles away in a straight line.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Paul's Catholic College (adjacent), 50 metres away.

In 2024/25, St Paul's Catholic College issued 54 suspensions, 4.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to St Paul's Catholic College are Southway Junior School (0.6 miles), The Gattons Infant School (0.6 miles), Sheddingdean Community Primary School (1 mile) and St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School (1.1 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.