Bourne Community College

About Bourne Community College

If you're a parent weighing up Bourne Community College, the numbers suggest it's a school that local families clearly want. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 237 applications for 137 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.73, with 111 first-preference offers made. That level of demand is a strong signal of local confidence. While the school doesn't publish a formal parent satisfaction percentage, the fact that it's oversubscribed by nearly three-quarters tells its own story. The school is a mixed, non-denominational secondary for ages 11 to 16, with no sixth form, and is led by headteacher Aparna Sharma. It currently has 729 pupils on roll against a capacity of 900, so there is some room to grow, but the oversubscription shows that for the places available, competition is real.

Academically, Bourne Community College performs solidly above the local average. Its Progress 8 score of 0.15 is well ahead of the West Sussex average of 0.03, placing it 16th out of 42 secondary schools in the local authority. In the Chichester area specifically, it ranks 2nd out of 6 schools. The Attainment 8 score sits at 45.7, and 66.2% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2021, rated it Good across all categories, including behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. That rating has been consistent since at least the previous inspection in 2016, which also awarded Good. The school's EBacc entry rate is 26.3%, and 14.3% of pupils achieved the EBacc at grade 4 or above. Maths is a particular strength, with a Progress 8 score of +0.37, while English sits slightly below the average at -0.07.

The school offers a practical range of facilities including an ICT suite, theatre, music rooms, art studios, library, astro turf, and a dining hall. Sports provision is broad, with hockey, football, basketball, netball, rugby, cross country, athletics, cricket, and gymnastics all on offer. There's also a strong selection of clubs, from the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and Model UN to choir, orchestra, drama, and a newspaper club. For families with children who have additional needs, the SEND provision is comprehensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder, with a resourced provision on site. With 21.3% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a diverse intake. Bourne Community College is a good fit for families in the Chichester area who want a well-regarded, oversubscribed state secondary with strong academic progress, particularly in maths, and a wide range of extracurricular opportunities.

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