Longdean School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 March 2025

Longdean is a friendly and nurturing school. Pupils know that they have a trusted adult to turn to should the need arise. They say that this really matters to them and that it helps them to feel safe. The school has clear expectations for pupils' behaviour. Staff and pupils appreciate the revised behaviour policy. It increasingly enables lessons to take place without disruption. Pupils study a range of subjects and courses that reflect their interests and career aspirations. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive effective support and access the full curriculum. Although the school's published outcomes in national examinations have started to improve, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should by the end of Year 11. Achievement in the sixth form is stronger. Sixth-form students are well prepared for their next stages in education, training, or employment. The school recognises the importance of ensuring that pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils, and pupils with SEND, gain wider opportunities beyond the curriculum. Pupils take part in a range of extra-curricular activities to develop their talents and interests, for example basketball, choir, photography, and cookery. Pupils relish these opportunities.

What the school should improve

• The curriculum is not consistently implemented to the same high standard across the school. Sometimes, expectations of pupils' work are not high enough. These small pockets of variation mean that some pupils are not learning to the same depth as others. The work given to pupils does not always give them opportunities to develop deeper thinking, such as reasoning and justifying. The school should ensure that good practice is shared and built on so that the quality of education is of a consistently high standard in all subjects and key stages.
• Pupils, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with SEND, are not attending school as regularly as they should. The rates of absence remain persistently high for too many pupils. As a result, they are missing out on vital learning and wider development opportunities. The school and trust should maintain a sharp focus on reducing rates of absence. They must continue to implement and persist with effective strategies to secure sustained improvement in pupils' attendance.

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