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On Stakes Hill Road in Crookhorn, the timetable tells you something important straight away: registration is at 8.50am, and Tuesday finishes earlier at 2.45pm. It is a practical rhythm, and it hints at a school that likes clear routines and makes room for enrichment beyond the last bell.
Crookhorn College is a state secondary school for boys and girls aged 11 to 16 in Waterlooville, Hampshire. The published capacity is 958, so this is a full-sized local secondary, not a small niche setting. The most recent Ofsted inspection rated the school Good overall, with Personal Development judged Outstanding.
Four words frame the daily message here: Respect, Commitment, Responsibility and Achievement. Crookhorn calls these its Cornerstones, and it matters that they are used as a practical reference point, not a poster. For families, that kind of shared language can make behaviour and expectations feel less personal and more predictable. When a student has a wobble, the conversation has somewhere clear to land.
The pastoral structure leans on a house system, with students placed into Arundel, Goodwood, Petworth or Romsey. It is paired with vertical tutor groups, mixing year groups rather than keeping everything strictly age-banded. That set-up can suit students who benefit from steady relationships and a strong sense of identity inside a larger school, because older students are visibly expected to model routines, and younger students are not left to work everything out alone.
Personal development is not treated as a bolt-on. It shows up in the way leadership opportunities and wider experiences are built into the school’s offer, from structured wellbeing teaching to enrichment strands that connect school life to the wider world. For many students, that breadth becomes the difference between simply getting through Years 7 to 11 and actually feeling engaged by them.
Crookhorn’s headline numbers ask for a careful read: they point to a school where outcomes are not yet consistently strong across England, and where progress is a key question for families to explore.
Crookhorn College is ranked 3110th in England and 5th in Waterlooville for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). That places it below England average overall, so it is sensible to look beyond a single result and focus on what is being done to lift consistency across subjects and groups.
The most recent published Attainment 8 score is 41.6 and the Progress 8 score is -0.31. For parents, the useful follow-up is concrete: how gaps are spotted early, what support looks like for students who are behind in reading or core knowledge, and what changes in Year 10 and Year 11 when exam pressure rises.
EBacc performance is one area to read closely. The proportion achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc subjects is 3%, with an average EBacc APS score of 3.4 (England average: 4.08). That matters most for families who are set on a languages-and-humanities-heavy route, because it frames how many students are both entered and successful across that combination of subjects.
If you are comparing local options, the FindMySchool local hub comparison view is a sensible way to put these figures alongside nearby schools without getting stuck on one headline number.
England ranks and key metrics (where available)
GCSE 9–7
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% of students achieving grades 9-7
Teaching here leans into routines that reduce friction. That often makes a bigger difference than any single initiative, especially in mixed-ability classrooms where clarity is half the battle.
Lesson starts are built around short starter tasks and quick retrieval, designed to settle the room and bring key knowledge back to the surface. The emphasis is practical: quick checks that get every student thinking rather than relying on a few confident hands.
Reading is treated as a whole-school priority rather than a single-department job. Registration includes dedicated Drop Everything And Read time, and additional reading support is used for students who need it. For many families, this is one of the most reassuring “boring details” a school can offer, because reading fluency affects everything that follows at secondary.
Crookhorn’s approach to home learning and independent study is structured through itslearning, which is used to organise resources and keep the basics clear. That kind of platform matters less for students who are naturally organised, but it can be a real help for those who need a consistent prompt for what is due, what is missing, and where to find the next step.
Crookhorn is an 11 to 16 school, so the destination story is about what happens at 16: further education, training, or apprenticeships. Careers education is positioned as a core strand, aligned with the Gatsby Benchmarks and supported by a Quality in Careers Standard award. That signals a school taking routes beyond GCSE seriously, rather than treating them as a vague endnote.
What makes the offer feel real is the specificity. Students take part in challenges and competitions linked to employers such as Lockheed Martin, and the school sets up post-16 taster sessions including Havant and South Downs College. Work experience is built in too, with Year 10 students offered two weeks of placement time, giving students a chance to test whether an interest is a subject preference or something they could imagine as a job.
Admission is coordinated through Hampshire, but Crookhorn is a foundation school, so its oversubscription criteria matter. This is also a school where families should assume competition, not availability.
The policy prioritises children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, followed by looked-after and previously looked-after children, and then exceptional medical or social need supported by professional evidence. It then moves through staff children, siblings, and feeder links before distance is used where applications exceed places within a category.
The feeder links are not generic. Linked primaries named include Berewood Primary School, Mill Hill Primary School, Padnell Junior School, Queens Inclosure Primary School and Springwood Junior School, with other linked schools also listed such as Purbrook Junior School and Morelands Junior School. For local families, those links can shape the realistic admissions conversation as much as distance does.
Recent demand data underlines how competitive it can be: 549 applications for 172 offers (around 3.19 applications per place). First-preference demand was also strong, with a ratio of 1.62 first preferences for each offer.
Hampshire’s Year 7 round follows a familiar pattern, with applications opening in early September, a late October deadline, and offers released in early March. If Crookhorn is a serious option, using the FindMySchool Map Search to sense-check your travel distance and local context is a sensible step before pinning plans to one outcome.
Applications
549
Total received
Places Offered
172
Subscription Rate
3.2x
Applications per place
Pastoral care is anchored in structure rather than ad hoc interventions. That can feel reassuring for students who like routine, and it can also make a difference when a student starts to drift, because someone is meant to notice quickly.
Houses and vertical tutor groups are designed to make sure students are seen daily by someone who knows them, not just taught by rotating subject staff. Rewards and recognition are tracked through ClassCharts, tying positive behaviour back to the Cornerstones. For families, consistency is the point: systems work best when they are applied steadily, not only when someone has the time.
Support for additional needs includes targeted reading work through programmes such as Reading Plus, small-group work on core maths skills, and a Nurture Group offer for a small number of Year 7 students who need a more supported setting alongside mainstream lessons. Wellbeing support also includes links with external organisations such as the Havant Mental Health Support Team and Havant and East Hants MIND, giving a wider safety net when a student needs more than a chat at break time.
Crookhorn’s co-curricular offer is strongest where it becomes specific: named roles, named events, and real links beyond the site. For students who need learning to feel connected to something tangible, that can be the hook.
STEM is treated as an identity strand as well as a set of lessons, including a Student STEM Ambassador role and a structured programme of enrichment. The programme includes Operating Theatre Live events, National STEM Week activities, and house competitions such as Techno Hunt. There are also clear local links, from Portsmouth Water visits to engineering challenges connected to Lockheed Martin.
Crookhorn Music School offers instrumental tuition across a wide range, including guitar, drums, woodwind and brass, with routes towards recognised exams. Performance is part of the picture too, including showcases at The Spring in Havant, which gives music-making a sense of purpose beyond school.
Sport and activity sit across participation and teams, with fixtures, county-wide competitions, and house competitions so students can compete even if they are not in a school team. Facilities include a Sports Hall and Gymnasium, plus a floodlit hard-court area used by local netball leagues.
Trips add another layer. The school references local visits such as Winchester Cathedral and the Royal Courts of Justice, alongside overseas experiences including Madrid, ski trips to Austria, and a Belgium science trip connected to the Belgium Space Centre. Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is available, with Year 10 students able to take on the Bronze Award.
The school day begins at 8.50am. Most days finish at 3.10pm, with an earlier Tuesday finish at 2.45pm. The timetable runs on a two-week cycle, and registration includes Drop Everything And Read time. After-school support includes Study Club for homework help, alongside clubs and activities later in the day.
Pick-up logistics are shaped by site safety rules. Vehicles are not allowed onto the site from 2.45pm (and from 2.20pm on Tuesdays) for a short period to allow students to leave safely, which is worth planning around if your child has clubs or you are coordinating multiple drop-offs.
Waterlooville itself is not rail-served, so Havant is the nearest mainline station for families arriving by train, with onward bus or taxi links into the Crookhorn area.
Admissions: competition is real. With 549 applications for 172 offers (around 3.19 applications per place), securing a place is not a formality. If this is a first choice, it is wise to set realistic second and third preferences within Hampshire’s coordinated process.
Results: progress needs scrutiny. A Progress 8 score of -0.31 points to below-average progress across England from students’ starting points. Families should ask how catch-up is organised for students who fall behind, and what the school does differently as GCSEs approach.
Curriculum route: EBacc outcomes are low. With 3% achieving grade 5 or above in EBacc subjects and an EBacc APS of 3.4, families prioritising a language-and-humanities route should understand how options are built and what support sits behind that pathway.
Daily logistics: plan the end-of-day routine. The vehicle restriction around finish time is sensible for safety, but it makes timing matter. That can feel tight when rehearsals, fixtures or Study Club stretch the afternoon.
Crookhorn College is a structured, community-rooted 11 to 16 secondary with a clear values framework, a strong personal development offer, and unusually detailed STEM and enrichment strands for a mainstream school. It suits students who respond well to routine, who benefit from a clear pastoral structure through houses and tutor groups, and who like learning that connects to real challenges, employers, and performance opportunities.
The main hurdle is getting in. Demand is high, and families should plan preferences carefully. For those who secure a place, the day-to-day offer is built to support steady habits and wider growth, not just exam preparation.
Crookhorn is rated Good overall at the most recent inspection, with Personal Development judged Outstanding. Its house system, tutor structure and enrichment strands suggest a school that puts strong emphasis on behaviour, belonging and wider development alongside lessons.
Yes. Recent demand figures show 549 applications for 172 offers, which is around 3.19 applications per place. That level of demand means families should treat admission as competitive.
The most recent published Attainment 8 score is 41.6 and Progress 8 is -0.31. In the FindMySchool GCSE outcomes ranking, Crookhorn is ranked 3110th in England and 5th in Waterlooville.
Registration starts at 8.50am. Most days finish at 3.10pm, with an earlier finish on Tuesdays at 2.45pm.
No. Crookhorn is an 11 to 16 school, so students move on to further education, training, or apprenticeships after GCSEs.
Get in touch with the school directly
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