SCHOOL PROFILE

Downs View Special School

Not applicable Community special school URN 114680
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 223 Published school capacity
Capacity used 100.4% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 3 – 19 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

18 June 2025
Latest published outcome Standards maintained
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Community special school
Phase Not applicable
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Brighton and Hove
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 224 224 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 49 21.9% of pupils
Male pupils 175 78.1% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

58.5%
33.7 pts above England
School 58.5%
Brighton and Hove 23.4%
South East 19.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

12.1%
8.2 pts below England
School 12.1%
Brighton and Hove 14.8%
South East 15.6%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Brighton and Hove 1.1%
South East 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
72.3%
162
African
4.0%
9
Any other White background
4.0%
9
Any other ethnic group
3.6%
8
Any other Mixed background
2.7%
6
Unclassified
2.7%
6
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 100.0% 224 of 224 pupils
79.2 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 100.0%
Brighton and Hove 25.6%
South East 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 0.0% 0 pupils
England 14.8% 14.8 pts below
EHC plans 100.0% 224 pupils
England 6.0% 94.0 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 107
Severe learning difficulty 54
Speech, language & communication 33
Profound & multiple learning difficulty 9
Specific learning difficulty 9
Moderate learning difficulty 6

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

0.0% 60.4 pts below England
School 0.0%
Brighton and Hove 55.1%
South East 60.1%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

0.0%

73.8 pts below England

School 0.0%
Brighton and Hove 71.6%
South East 74.0%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

0.0%

70.3 pts below England

School 0.0%
Brighton and Hove 67.2%
South East 70.5%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

0.0%

72.0 pts below England

School 0.0%
Brighton and Hove 66.1%
South East 70.9%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

10.24%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

4.02 pts higher than England
School 10.24%
Brighton and Hove 7.09%
South East 6.30%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

34.29%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

18.47 pts higher than England
School 34.29%
Brighton and Hove 18.77%
South East 15.75%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.86%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.05 pts higher than England
School 2.86%
Brighton and Hove 2.28%
South East 1.93%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open not applicable schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

100.4% 20.7 pts above England
Downs View Special School
100.4%
Brighton and Hove
74.6%
South East
79.9%
England
79.8%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information