Chichester Free School Review 2026: All-through academy with a strong personal development culture

An all-through academy free school on the Hunston Road site just south of Chichester, with a structured day and a clear emphasis on character, participation and inclusion. The latest Ofsted inspection (8 to 9 May 2024) judged the school Good overall, with Outstanding for personal development.

Leadership is stable, with Mrs Louise New as Executive Principal, and James Garner and Ben Phillips leading primary and secondary respectively. For families weighing an all-through journey, the school’s strongest headline is the breadth of clubs and the way behaviour and routines are used to build confidence and belonging, alongside solid, mid-pack academic outcomes when compared across England.

The all-through model shapes the feel of the place. From Reception onwards, routines are designed to help pupils settle quickly and take school seriously, without turning the day into a purely academic treadmill. External review evidence points to a respectful, friendly culture, and an explicitly inclusive stance where differences are expected and accepted.

The school leans heavily on its House structure as a day-to-day organising principle rather than a once-a-term add-on. Pupils and staff are assigned to one of four Houses, Aquila, Noctua, Pegasus, or Phoenix, and older pupils take formal roles such as House Presidents and Ambassadors. That creates ready-made cross-year contact, and it also gives shy pupils a reason to participate because House points and inter-House events reward joining in, not only being the loudest voice.

Leadership continuity matters in a growing all-through setting. Mrs New is listed as Accounting Officer from 01 September 2019, and the 2024 inspection report also notes a new Executive Principal took up post in September 2019. The school joined Sussex Learning Trust in September 2023, which adds trust-level oversight and collaboration to school improvement activity and staff development.

This section uses FindMySchool rankings based on official outcomes data.

Primary (Key Stage 2)

Primary results are a clear strength. In 2024, 78% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, above the England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 27% reached greater depth, well above the England average of 8%. Science is also strong, with 94% meeting the expected standard, compared to 82% across England.

FindMySchool ranks the primary phase 5,729th in England and 6th locally (Chichester), which equates to performance broadly in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). That sounds moderate on paper, but the underlying attainment measures here are comfortably above England averages, so the practical take-away for parents is that Key Stage 2 outcomes are reliably secure, with a meaningful proportion reaching higher standards.

Secondary (GCSE)

At GCSE level, the school’s FindMySchool ranking is 2,632nd in England and 2nd locally (Chichester), again aligning to the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). Attainment 8 is 44.4, and Progress 8 is 0, indicating outcomes broadly in line with expectations for students’ starting points.

EBacc measures are mixed. The average EBacc APS is 3.76 (England average: 4.08), and 6.1% achieved grade 5 or above across the EBacc. A low EBacc figure is not automatically a weakness, it can reflect entry patterns and option choices, but it does tell families that the EBacc route is not the dominant story here.

Parents comparing several Chichester options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub pages and the side-by-side Comparison Tool to check whether this mid-pack England position is actually one of the stronger local choices, which it appears to be for GCSE rank within the local area.

Curriculum intent is framed as broad and ambitious, with a structured sequence of knowledge and skills across subjects, and regular revisiting to support retention. Teaching is described as clear and purposeful, with feedback designed to help pupils understand what they have done well and how to improve.

Early reading starts immediately in Reception, and phonics is central. Staff training is described as strong, with matched reading books and additional sessions for pupils at risk of falling behind, although the implementation is not fully consistent across all staff. In practice, parents should expect a serious approach to reading, with intervention used early rather than waiting for gaps to widen.

At Key Stage 4, the published option structure shows a relatively wide choice that includes languages, humanities, arts, technology subjects and vocationally oriented routes alongside core learning. This breadth suits pupils who need room to find their strengths, rather than pupils who want a very narrow, highly academic pathway from early secondary.

This is an all-through school, but it is not currently set up as a full 11–18 pipeline. The 2024 inspection report notes that the school began a phased closure of its sixth form shortly after the previous inspection, with the final Year 13 pupils leaving in August 2021. That means most students will move to other local sixth forms, sixth form colleges, or further education providers after Year 11.

The careers model is designed to make that transition planned rather than reactive. The school’s careers guidance documentation describes a programme that includes PSHE work on post-16 choices, a sixth form options evening, taster activity, and structured encounters with apprenticeship and technical education routes. Families should read that as a practical strength, especially given that post-16 progression is not automatic in-house.

For primary families, the all-through structure can also make Year 6 to Year 7 transition calmer. A “middle school” model is explicitly referenced in the school’s secondary curriculum framing, intended to reduce the common Year 7 dip through proactive transition support.

Admissions are coordinated through West Sussex County Council for both Reception and Year 7 entry points. The school does not operate a catchment area as a requirement, which can widen the pool of applicants and increase uncertainty for families relying on proximity alone.

Demand data suggests the school is meaningfully oversubscribed at the main entry points. For Reception entry, there were 164 applications for 60 offers, which is 2.73 applications per place. For Year 7, there were 521 applications for 98 offers, or 5.32 applications per place. In practical terms, competition for Year 7 places is the sharper pressure point.

For September 2026 entry, the school’s published open events information states that the Year 7 application process through the local authority closes on 31 October, with offers on Monday 2 March 2026. It also indicates Reception offers on Wednesday 15 April (with applications opening in October). For West Sussex primary intake, the local authority booklet for September 2026 entry states that applications open 06 October 2025 and close 15 January 2026.

Because distance cut-offs are not published here in the supplied dataset, families who are trying to judge realistic chances should use the FindMySchoolMap Search to measure their home-to-school distance precisely, then compare it against any locally published allocation information as it becomes available for the relevant year.

Personal development is the most distinctive pillar in external evidence. The school runs an explicit behaviour management approach, with pupils earning House points for positive choices and a consistent response to poor behaviour. This sort of clarity tends to suit pupils who thrive with predictable systems and clear lines.

Support is not only disciplinary. The inspection report describes targeted provision for pupils who need additional academic or pastoral help, including named internal support spaces, Tree House in primary and Eagle Point in secondary, plus “soft starts” in the morning for a small number of pupils who need a gentler entry to the day. For families with children who are anxious, have attendance fragility, or struggle with transitions, those structures are worth probing at open events.

Safeguarding is described as effective, and the school presents safeguarding as its first priority, with clearly named Designated Safeguarding Leads across phases.

CFS treats co-curricular participation as a core part of the offer, not a reward for high attainers. Clubs run after Period 6 each day for Years 7 to 11, typically from 15:30 to 16:30, alongside supervised study, with some sports running later. For primary, activities also extend the end of day on certain year groups.

The range is broad enough to serve different personalities. External review evidence references Lego club, mindfulness, film club, and a chess league as popular options, alongside a wide spread of sport, music and performance activity. The school also runs a Combined Cadet Force, framed as a leadership and character pathway rather than purely a military hobby.

For families who want specific, slightly niche clubs rather than the standard list, older school materials reference Dungeons and Dragons, Tai Chi, and coding as examples of enrichment, and the school has also publicised fencing, horse riding, textiles (Stichtopia) and engineering clubs in past activity communications. Offerings change by term, but the pattern is consistent: the school expects pupils and students to join in, and it builds time into the week for that to happen.

The published day structure is unusually clear, which helps working families plan. Reception runs 08:30 to 15:00, with wrap-around care from 07:30 to 18:00 via an external provider. Years 1 to 6 have similar wrap-around availability, with day end at 15:00 or 15:15 depending on year group, and activities extending to 16:30 on relevant days.

Secondary gates open at 07:45, tutor time starts 08:20, and Period 6 ends 15:30, followed by supervised study or clubs. Transport planning will depend on where you live in and around Chichester, but the structured end time for clubs makes pick-up logistics more predictable than at schools where enrichment is irregular.

• Year 7 competition. With 521 applications for 98 offers in the latest dataset, demand is high at secondary entry. Families should treat admission as the main uncertainty, and plan realistic alternatives.

• No current sixth form pipeline. The school’s sixth form was closed on a phased basis, with the final Year 13 leaving in August 2021. If your plan relies on one site from age 11 to 18, this will not provide that continuity.

• EBacc pathway is not the headline. EBacc measures are modest, including a low proportion achieving grade 5+ across EBacc. Families prioritising a strongly EBacc-driven curriculum should ask detailed questions about language uptake and humanities entry patterns at Key Stage 4.

• Routines and systems are prominent. Behaviour points, House points, and structured clubs underpin the culture. Many pupils benefit from that consistency, but children who find formal systems difficult may need careful transition planning and early pastoral conversations.

Chichester Free School is best understood as a structured, participation-led all-through school with strong primary outcomes and a standout personal development model. It suits families who value clear routines, a busy co-curricular offer, and an inclusive culture that rewards steady effort. The main hurdle is admission at Year 7, and families should also be comfortable with post-16 progression happening elsewhere rather than on site.