St Philip Howard Catholic School

About St Philip Howard Catholic School

St Philip Howard Catholic School is a heavily oversubscribed secondary in Arun, West Sussex, and the numbers explain why. The school currently has 1,301 pupils against a capacity of 1,033, meaning it is operating well above its official limit. For the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 613 applications for just 206 places, an oversubscription ratio of 2.98. Of those, 244 families put it as their first preference, and 190 first-preference offers were made. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 11.8%, which is slightly below the national average for secondary schools and suggests a relatively mixed but not especially disadvantaged intake. As a Roman Catholic school, its admissions criteria will prioritise faith families, which likely shapes the demographic profile. The school is one of nine Outstanding-rated secondaries in West Sussex and ranks second in the local authority for Progress 8, behind only St Oscar Romero Catholic School.

Academically, St Philip Howard delivers results that are comfortably above average. Its Progress 8 score of 0.68 is rated 'well above average' nationally and far exceeds the West Sussex local authority average of 0.03. In the South East region, it ranks 51st out of 461 schools for this measure, placing it in the top 11% regionally, and 297th nationally out of 3,141 schools. At KS4, 79.2% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 score is 53.6. The EBacc average point score is 4.68, though only 28.1% of pupils entered the EBacc combination. At A-level, the school’s value-added score is 0.15, rated 'above average', and the average points per entry is 37.74, equivalent to a B- grade. The best three A-levels average out at a B grade, and 24.5% of entries achieved grades AAB or higher. The sixth form is graded Outstanding by Ofsted.

The school is well equipped, with facilities including a gymnasium, sports hall, swimming pool, theatre, music rooms, science labs, art studios, and a chapel. Sports on offer include rowing, rugby, cricket, and tennis, while clubs range from Model UN and Young Enterprise to coding and gardening. The school has a broad SEND offer, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. For Catholic families in the Arun area who want strong academic outcomes and a faith-based environment, this school is a natural first choice. Given the oversubscription, applying as a first preference is essential, and those without a faith connection may find it harder to secure a place. The school suits families who value high standards, a structured Catholic ethos, and a wide range of extracurricular opportunities.

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