Tanbridge House School

About Tanbridge House School

Tanbridge House School is a secondary school in Horsham that parents clearly have on their radar. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 841 applications for 301 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.79, meaning nearly three families applied for every available spot. Of those, 349 put Tanbridge as their first preference, and 296 first-preference offers were made. That level of demand suggests a strong local reputation, and it’s backed up by the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024, which rated it Outstanding across every category: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. It’s worth noting that Tanbridge has held an Outstanding rating consistently — its previous inspection in 2012 also awarded top marks. The school is a mixed, non-denominational state secondary for pupils aged 11 to 16, with no sixth form, and currently has 1,524 pupils on roll, slightly above its official capacity of 1,500.

Academically, Tanbridge delivers results that sit comfortably above the local average. Its Progress 8 score of 0.4 is well above the West Sussex local authority average of 0.03, and the school ranks second in Horsham out of five secondaries on this measure. Nationally, it sits in the top 25% of schools for Progress 8, ranking 644th out of 3,141 schools. The Attainment 8 score is 53.1, and 79.9% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, compared with 59.2% at grade 5 or above. The EBacc average point score is 4.62, though only 30.8% of pupils entered the EBacc combination of subjects, and 22.7% achieved the full EBacc at grade 4 or above. Progress in English (0.38), maths (0.33), and the EBacc subjects (0.45) all show positive value-added scores, with the open element — essentially other GCSEs — the strongest at 0.41.

The school is well equipped for a comprehensive range of activities, with facilities including a library, astro turf, playing fields, tennis courts, a sports hall, music rooms, and a chapel. Sports on offer include netball, rugby, cricket, hockey, and gymnastics, while clubs range from orchestra and debate to film club and gardening. For families with children who have additional needs, Tanbridge lists support for a wide range of SEND provisions, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech, language and communication needs, social, emotional and mental health needs, and specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia. With 9.8% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school’s intake is slightly below the national average for disadvantage, but its strong outcomes and high demand suggest it’s a popular choice for families across Horsham who prioritise academic progress and a well-structured school day.

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