Tanbridge House School

Community school·Secondary school Horsham, West Sussex·RH12 1SR
Composite score
67.8
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#521
National rank
#112
In South East
#5
In West Sussex
Top 16%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
54.2
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
—
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
59%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
80%
% EBacc grade 5+
18%
EBacc average points score
4.68

Ofsted judgements

Legacy framework · Read full report ↗

Overall effectiveness
Outstanding
Quality of education
Outstanding
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding
Safeguarding effective?
Yes

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
82%
340 first choices, 292 places
First choices per place
1.16
more first choices than places
Applications naming the school
775
any preference, for 292 places
Last place offered lived
2.91 mi
straight line, 2026 intake · 4684 m
Applications from another council area
1%
First preferences per place, last five years▶ 0.00
00.511.5
1 per place
1.0120221.2520231.1320241.1620251.162026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

The cut-off distance is how far the last child offered a place lived, not a catchment boundary: it moves every year with the number of applicants. Published by the council in its 2026 allocation figures, and checked against that document before we show it.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
11–16
Pupils on roll
1,524
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Admissions
Non-Selective

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
10.0%
Typical secondary: 27.5%
% EAL
6.9%
Typical secondary: 12.0%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
25.0%
Typical secondary: 13.7%
% with an EHC plan
2.2%
Typical secondary: 2.9%

Attendance

Overall absence
7.0%
Typical secondary: 8.9%
Persistently absent
17.9%
Typical secondary: 25.7%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
16.7
Typical secondary: 16.7
Spend per pupil
£7,111
Typical secondary: £7,815

“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means

What pupils do next

The share of this school's Year 11 leavers in education, training or employment for at least two terms afterwards.

In education, training or work
95%
327 pupils tracked
Stayed in education
89%
Apprenticeship
2%
Employment
4%

DfE, KS4 destination measures.

Nearby secondary schools

Location

School overview

Tanbridge House School is a secondary school serving Horsham, West Sussex, classified by the DfE as a community school. It has 1,524 pupils aged 11 to 16 on roll. At its most recent graded inspection, Ofsted rated Tanbridge House School 'Outstanding'. In the most recent GCSE results, pupils achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 54.2, above the national average of 46. That marks an improvement of 1.1 points in its Attainment 8 score on the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it among the top 16% of secondary schools in England.

59% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, well above the national average of about 45%. 80% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Competition for places is real here - 82% of first-choice applicants were offered a Year 7 place for September 2026 (340 first choices for 292 places). The council's own allocation figures show the last child offered a place for 2026 lived 2.91 miles away in a straight line — that distance is not a fixed catchment and moves each year. After Year 11, 95% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 7.0%. There are about 16.7 pupils per teacher. Its intake is relatively advantaged, with around 10% of pupils eligible for free school meals in the last six years versus about 24% nationally. When comparing schools, it is still worth visiting in person to see whether the atmosphere and approach suit your child. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.

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