Varndean College, Brighton
Varndean College is a post-16 school for pupils aged 16 to 99 in Brighton. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2024.
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Varndean College in detail
Where pupils go next
Of the 892 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 27% went on to university or other higher education, 3% to apprenticeships and 30% into work. 11% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Preston Park Rail Station, about 1000 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Varndean College (adjacent), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Varndean College stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 208 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).
Sources: DfE destination measures; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Contribution to meeting skills needs: Reasonable
Source: Ofsted, further education and skills inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2024 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Leadership & management.
About
Varndean College is a sixth form college in Brighton and Hove that serves the needs of sixth form students and adults.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Special Measures
Sixth Form Performance (A-Level)
A-Level Results
C+
Average grade
34.0
Points per entry
C+
Best 3 A-Levels
8%
Achieving AAB+
Above average
Value added
686
A-Level students
86%
Retention rate
2024/25 academic year
A-Level Subjects Offered
+ 15 more subjects
2024/25 academic year - entries by number of students
After A-Levels - Leaver Destinations
After A-Levels (Year 13) - 892 students
2023/24 data
University & Higher Education Destinations
11%
Top-third university
52%
Degree course
54%
Any L4+ destination
1%
Apprenticeships
Based on 747 students completing 16-18 study
2022/23 cohort - "Top-third" = most selective third of UK universities by student intake
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 2 nearby schools
Latest from Varndean College
£4.44 million boost for young people as Varndean Sixth Form College secures funding for new Skills and Business Building
1 Oct 2026
Maths students participate in Mathematical Competition for Girls
29 Sep 2026
Politics Society welcomes Bella Sankey
25 Sep 2026
Varndean Sixth Form College Students compete at the European Youth Parliament UK national final
7 Sep 2026
Varndean Sixth Form College Celebrates Another Year of Impressive Results
13 Aug 2026
Varndean Students Aspire at Oxford
17 Jul 2026
From Varndean College's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Varndean College
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Brighton and Hove is 40.5 (the median across 82 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
Area Demand Pressure - Brighton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Brighton
Across Brighton and Hove council
Places available
2,515
Applications
2,154
Got 1st preference
82.9%
Got preferred school
98.3%
All secondary applications across Brighton and Hove council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(7)
Questions parents ask about Varndean College
What is Varndean College's Ofsted rating?
Varndean College was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2024.
What is the catchment area for Varndean College?
No fixed boundary. When Varndean College is oversubscribed, Brighton and Hove allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How do I apply to Varndean College?
Apply through Brighton and Hove's coordinated admissions process, naming Varndean College on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Varndean College?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Brighton and Hove is 40.5 (the median across 82 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Varndean College?
Varndean College is at Surrenden Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 6WQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)