Oriel High School

About Oriel High School

Oriel High School in Crawley holds a Good rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2025, with every assessed category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision — all rated Good. The school’s Progress 8 score of 0.1 is the most telling academic metric, placing it above the West Sussex local authority average of 0.03. This means that, on average, pupils at Oriel achieve slightly better GCSE results than students across the county with similar starting points. The school ranks second out of seven secondary schools within Crawley itself on this measure, and sits in the top 50% nationally. With an Attainment 8 score of 48.6, pupils are securing roughly half a grade per subject above the national baseline, and 72.8% of students achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths — a solid foundation for the next stage.

At A-level, Oriel’s sixth form also performs well. The average points per entry is 32.86, equivalent to a C+ grade, and the best three A-levels average out at a C+ as well, with a value-added score of 0.09 — again above the national average. The progress banding is rated as Average, meaning students make the expected level of progress from their GCSE starting points. Around 9.2% of entries achieved grades at AAB or higher. The school’s EBacc average point score of 4.16 reflects a broad academic curriculum, though only 16.6% of pupils entered the full EBacc suite of subjects. In the South East region, Oriel ranks 203rd out of 461 schools on Progress 8, placing it comfortably in the upper half. Parents responding to Ofsted’s Parent View survey were overwhelmingly positive: 87% would recommend the school, and 87% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy there.

Oriel is a large, mixed secondary school with 1,478 pupils on roll, slightly above its official capacity of 1,450. It is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 634 applications for 231 places, with 238 first-preference applications and 191 first-preference offers. The school has a broad range of facilities including art studios, a sixth-form centre, sports hall, playing fields, and a chapel. Sports on offer include rowing, gymnastics, martial arts, and hockey, while clubs range from orchestra and coding to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Model UN. SEND support covers ten categories, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health difficulties. 25% of responding parents said their child has SEND, and 71% of those agreed the school provides the support needed. With a free school meals rate of 13.9%, Oriel serves a broadly representative intake and suits families looking for a large, well-subscribed comprehensive with strong academic outcomes and a wide extracurricular offer.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Oriel High School

Helpful Guides for Parents