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Cardinal Newman Catholic School

Secondary · Hove · BN3 6ND

Data updated

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Outstanding

SchoolFacts estimate: Ofsted awarded no overall grade at this inspection

We show the lowest of the four areas Ofsted did judge, listed below. Why some schools have no overall grade →

Quality of education: OutstandingBehaviour & attitudes: OutstandingPersonal development: OutstandingLeadership & management: OutstandingSafeguarding effective: Yes

Inspected 8 October 2024

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

2,657 pupils · 102% of 2,600 capacity (over capacity) (January 2026 census)

School type
Voluntary aided school
Age range
11–18
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
22.2% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
22.7% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
16.1% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
2.2% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
http://www.cncs.co.uk/
URN
114611

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 484 families named it first for 346 Year 7 places, 1.40 first choices per place. We hold 5 Year 7 admissions rounds for it, 2022 to 2026; none was decided by a published distance. At its inspection on 8 October 2024 Ofsted awarded no overall grade; the lowest of the four areas it judged was Outstanding. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 8.8% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

1.40 first-choice applications per place

346 places offered · 484 first-choice applications · oversubscribed

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. The council did not publish a cutoff distance for 2026 entry.

Admissions cutoff distance: Year 7

The council did not publish a cutoff distance for 2026 entry.

Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

GCSE results (2024/2025)

365 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
50.4
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
71.5%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
47.9%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
4.5
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

A-level results (2024/2025)

A-level points per entry (England: 35 ≈ B-) B-
37.9
England 35

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school50.4
Median of its 12 closest peers51
Brighton and Hove average45.6
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is in line with the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
The Duston SchoolNorthampton · 103 miles awayStrong standard50
E-Act Ousedale SchoolNewport Pagnell · 89 miles awayGood49.4
The Cherwell SchoolOxford · 80 miles awayOutstanding58.3
Roundhay SchoolLeeds · 215 miles awayOutstanding55.1
George Abbot SchoolGuildford · 33 miles awayGood58.2
Little Heath SchoolReading · 58 miles awayGood48.2
Harrogate Grammar SchoolHarrogate · 225 miles awayStrong standard56.6
John Port Spencer AcademyDerby · 154 miles awayGood51.4
Kingsdale Foundation SchoolLondon · 41 miles awayOutstanding59.9
Riddlesdown CollegiatePurley · 34 miles awayOutstanding50.7
Stratford Upon Avon SchoolStratford-upon-Avon · 115 miles awayGood (2016)48.7
City of Norwich School, An Ormiston AcademyNorwich · 137 miles awayExpected standard50.4

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 54% (Brighton and Hove 67%, England 59%) · Any other White background 14% (Brighton and Hove 8%, England 7%) · Black African 5% (Brighton and Hove 3%, England 5%) · Any other Mixed background 4% (Brighton and Hove 4%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Asian 4% (Brighton and Hove 3%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Black African 4% (Brighton and Hove 2%, England 1%) · Any other Asian background 4% (Brighton and Hove 2%, England 3%) · Any other ethnic group 4% (Brighton and Hove 3%, England 3%) · Asian Indian 2% (Brighton and Hove 1%, England 4%) · White Irish 2% (Brighton and Hove 1%, England 0%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 2% (Brighton and Hove 2%, England 2%) · Any other Black background 1% (Brighton and Hove 1%, England 1%) · Asian Chinese 1% (Brighton and Hove 1%, England 1%) · other groups together 1%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
8.8%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
21.7%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

11.43 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Brighton and Hove: 13.03 suspensions and 0.01 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
15.5
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

91% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 2% moved to another state school · 8% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, council-maintained secondaries: 0.22% vacant, 0.42% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

77.9% of teachers took sickness absence, 7.2 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £49,392; 8.6% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2025-26)

This school£7,129
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2025-26)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 84% (77%) · premises 4% (6%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 4% (7%) · supplies and services 8% (10%) · educational supplies 7% (6%) · bought-in professional services 1% (2%) · catering 1% (3%)

Reserves (2025-26)

Revenue reserve -£1,596,885; in-year balance +£179,905

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: council-maintained school finance return, 2025-26, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
94%
Continuing in education
92%
Apprenticeship
1%
Employment
1%

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
31%
Apprenticeship
3%
Employment
30%
Any sustained destination
78%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
10/10among the least deprived tenth of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
10/10among the least deprived tenth of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher56.8%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications12.2%18.1%
In managerial or professional work53.7%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways10.2%18.1%
Residents in very good health58.8%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier82.3%62.3%
Social housing3.3%17.1%
Privately rented14.4%20.5%
Detached houses57.9%22.9%
Flats16.2%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms60.5%21.1%
Households with no car or van14.7%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01016981 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£385,0001,087 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£293,000–£666,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (76)£1,255,000
Semi-detached (77)£952,000
Terraced (217)£690,000
Flat (717)£315,000

Homes around this school are dearer than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
6an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
17an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
48an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
15an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools