Varndean School
Secondary · Community school · Ages 11–16 · Brighton, Brighton and Hove
Varndean School is a secondary school in Brighton, Brighton and Hove for ages 11–16 (community school). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Good, from the inspection on 5 October 2022. Brighton and Hove has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2018 to 2025 entry.
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Key facts
- Address
- Balfour Road, Brighton, BN1 6NP
- Type
- Community school
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–16
- Sector
- See recorded establishment type
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Brighton and Hove
- Pupils on roll
- 1,487 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 23% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 17
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Good Inspected 5 October 2022
Strengths
- “Varndean School is on a mission to achieve its goal of ‘world-class’ education.”
- “Inspirational leaders are rapidly transforming the school.”
- “They constantly look for ways to make it better and improve the areas that could be even stronger.”
To improve
- “Very rarely, some subject planning is less coherent.”
- “In those cases, pupils do not gain enough knowledge at the right time to make sense of what comes later.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 16 November 2022 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE English and maths, grade 5 or above (2024/25) | 56% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 48.8 | 46 |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Year 7 entry: 350 first-preference applications, 279 offers in total, 254 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Last distance offered and catchment
A one-off £9.99 pass, no subscription, unlocks for 3 months:
- Last distance offered for Year 7 2018 to 2025, as Brighton and Hove published it, drawn on the map
- Earlier years of applications and offers
- Earlier years of exam results
- Where pupils go after they leave
- Crime, sold prices, broadband and transport around the school
A last distance offered describes one past year and is not a catchment or a promise of a place. Check with the council before you apply.
Nearby secondary schools
Straight-line distance, in Brighton and Hove.
- Dorothy Stringer School 0.3 mi Good Last distance published
- Patcham High School 0.9 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Cardinal Newman Catholic School 1.3 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Brighton Aldridge Community Academy 1.9 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Blatchington Mill School 2.0 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Hove Park School and Sixth Form Centre 2.0 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- King's School 2.4 mi No Ofsted grade
- Longhill High School 3.7 mi Requires improvement Last distance published