Weald School, The, Billingshurst

In its own words: "The Weald School is a thriving and vibrant community and we welcome interest from both prospective students and staff. Most students join us from local primary schools in September each year. Our Open Evening for Year 6 students and their parents takes place late September each year for admission the following year."

From the headteacher's welcome: "The Weald is a warm and friendly school where our ethos is that everyone is valued and has a vital role to play to make it an excellent place to learn, grow and thrive. Our vision is summed up in two words: opportunity and community."

In 2026, pupils at Weald School, The averaged an Attainment 8 score of 50.8, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.2 in West Sussex and 47 across England.

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

That is up from 47.1 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.44: 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 35.5, against 52.5 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 17 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 26 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 273 families put Weald School, The as their first choice and 506 named it as one of their preferences, for 291 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 7 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

347 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Weald School, The (as of September 2025): 87% would recommend the school, 87% say their child is happy there and 62% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (89%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (62%).

Of the 293 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 91% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 22% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

Of the 111 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 44% went on to university or other higher education, 7% to apprenticeships and 40% into work. 30% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

11.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 338 pupils (18.8%) received SEN support and 49 (2.7%) 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 Billingshurst Rail Station, about 320 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).

14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Weald School (outside), 100 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Weald School, The 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 57 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other crime. That is well below the typical figure around schools in West Sussex (103).

In 2024/25, Weald School, The issued 226 suspensions, 12.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.