Thomas Bennett Community College, Crawley

Ofsted's report card from its 22 September 2026 inspection grades Thomas Bennett Community College on 7 areas: 1 expected standard and 6 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have established a well-considered personal development programme."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Over time, too many pupils underperform in national tests and examinations."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Attendance is an area where leaders recognise there is more work to do."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "The quality of teaching is inconsistent."

Inclusion - Needs attention. "Leaders have established clear systems for identifying pupils' needs quickly."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Leaders' actions are beginning to have a positive impact."

Post-16 provision - Needs attention. "At post-16, examination results have been below national averages over time."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Those responsible for governance should ensure that leaders' improvement work is sustained, challenged and evaluated rigorously so that recent improvements translate into stronger outcomes for pupils and students in the sixth form"; "Leaders should ensure that pupils' needs are accurately identified and that personal education plans specifically identify pupils' next steps to enable the best possible progress"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers consistently implement the curriculum as intended by checking pupils' understanding accurately, addressing misconceptions and adapting learning effectively so that pupils achieve well at each stage of the curriculum"; "Leaders should continue to implement their attendance strategy rigorously so that attendance improves substantially, particularly for disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are persistently absent"; "Leaders should ensure that pupils with SEND receive appropriate pastoral support, working proactively with external stakeholders so that their behaviour improves and permanent exclusions and suspensions decrease"; "Leaders should ensure that the personal development programme is further strengthened so that all pupils benefit fully from the wider opportunities and experiences, including careers provision, that the school intends them to receive".

In 2026, pupils at Thomas Bennett Community College averaged an Attainment 8 score of 37.4, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.2 in West Sussex and 47 across England.

28% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 47% in West Sussex and 47% in England.

That is up from 33.1 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.95: 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 26.6, against 41.8 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 15.2 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 20 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Business Studies.

For September 2026 entry, 103 families put Thomas Bennett Community College as their first choice and 292 named it as one of their preferences, for 205 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 Thomas Bennett Community College are Holy Trinity CofE Secondary School, Crawley (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 40.2); St Wilfrid's Catholic Comprehensive School, Crawley (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 46); Oriel High School (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46); and Ifield Community College (1.5 miles, Attainment 8 41.5).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Thomas Bennett Community College.

Thomas Bennett Community College is one of 45 schools run by The Kemnal Academies Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 38.2 in 2024/25.

Of the 193 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 76% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 34% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

Of the 92 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 16% went on to university or other higher education, 2% to apprenticeships and 54% into work. 3% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

28.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (54%), Asian (9%) and Black (9%).

Thomas Bennett Community College has a SEN unit for autism.

Thomas Bennett Community College had 45 teachers in 2026, one for every 28 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.

The nearest railway station is Crawley Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is K2 Leisure Centre (outside), 190 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 301 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in West Sussex (103), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Thomas Bennett Community College issued 767 suspensions, 60.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 7 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Thomas Bennett Community College are Desmond Anderson Primary Academy (0.2 miles), Broadfield Primary Academy (0.3 miles), Southgate Primary (0.5 miles) and Hilltop Primary School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.