Cornfield School, Littlehampton

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 20 January 2026

Pupils are proud to attend Cornfield. Many arrive with historic negative attitudes to education. The school works hard to break these barriers down quickly. Pupils develop strategies to manage their behaviour and to express how they feel in a positive manner. This means that pupils build strong relationships with staff. Pupils trust staff deeply and know that they will help them to deal with any issues they have effectively. As a result of this work, pupils feel safe and happy in school. This also helps pupils to behave very well. Staff know the pupils well. They use this knowledge to identify quickly pupils who may need additional help to manage their behaviour. Pupils respond positively to this and return to learning quickly. The school is a calm and respectful environment. This helps pupils to become increasingly confident and independent. The school ensures that pupils have the skills they need to be ready to learn. This helps them to concentrate well and work hard. Older pupils are typically well-prepared for their next steps. They achieve a wide range of qualifications and have a broad experience of the world of work. This supports them to be successful in their next steps after school. However, some younger pupils arrive with significant gaps in learning, and, while the school has begun to address this, it is too early to show the impact of this work. As a result, these pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Pupils enjoy school. They benefit from high levels of care. Pupils enjoy the wide range of activities that the school offers. For example, pupils broaden their skills and talents through well-planned enrichment activities. Pupils are keen to discuss these exciting experiences. They benefit positively from these opportunities, and this equips pupils well for life beyond school.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that staff have what they need to gain a more accurate and precise knowledge of pupils' starting points to enable them to better shape the curriculum to meet pupils' changing needs and successfully address gaps in pupils' academic learning, particularly their foundational skills and knowledge. • The school should ensure that all pupils have access to appropriate careers advice that provides them with a broad understanding of all the next steps available to them. • Leaders should continue their work to strengthen the governing body and ensure that governors have appropriate knowledge to offer greater levels of support and challenge to the school.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)