Fordwater School, Chichester
Summersdale Road, Chichester, PO19 6PP
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Community special school
- Ages
- 2 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Ms Sophie Clarke
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- SEN provision
- SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Chichester
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 154
- Pupils on roll
- 219
- URN
- 126163
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01243782475
About this school
Fordwater School, Chichester is a community special school in Chichester. It teaches children aged 2 to 19 and has 219 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Fordwater School, Chichester, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 4 July 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good and saw signs of improvement; a full inspection will follow. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 5 | 10 | 6 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | - | 0% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | - | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | - | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in maths | - | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | - | 0% | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | - | - |
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 4 | 6 | 15 |
| Attainment 8 score | - | - | - |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | - | - | - |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | - | - | - |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Fordwater School, Chichester has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | West Sussex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 53.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 54.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 56.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 12.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 12.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 11.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 152 |
| 2023/24 | 171 |
| 2024/25 | 193 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 37.09%
- English as an additional language
- 11.9%
- Overall absence
- 11.59%
- Persistent absence
- 39.1%
Location
Nearby schools
-
University of Chichester0.5 miles
Universities · Chichester
-
St Anthony's School0.5 miles
Special schools · Chichester
-
The Prebendal School1.1 miles
Independent schools · Chichester
-
Chichester High Schools Sixth Form1.4 miles
Colleges · Chichester
-
Westbourne House School1.7 miles
Independent schools · Chichester
Other schools in Chichester
- Littlegreen Academy Academies
- St Anthony's School Special schools
- Chichester Nursery School Nursery
- Aldingbourne Primary School Primary
- Birdham CE Primary School Primary
- Bosham Primary School Primary
- Boxgrove CofE Primary School Primary
- Chidham Parochial Primary School Primary
- Compton and Up Marden CofE Primary School Primary
- East Wittering Community Primary School Primary
- Eastergate CofE Primary School Primary
- Fishbourne CofE Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Fordwater School, Chichester teach?
- Fordwater School, Chichester teaches children aged 2 to 19. It is a special school in Chichester.
- Who is the headteacher of Fordwater School, Chichester?
- The headteacher of Fordwater School, Chichester is Ms Sophie Clarke, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Fordwater School, Chichester been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Fordwater School, Chichester, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Fordwater School, Chichester?
- Fordwater School, Chichester has 219 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 19.
- Is Fordwater School, Chichester full?
- Fordwater School, Chichester has capacity for 154 pupils and 219 on roll (142%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Fordwater School, Chichester a faith school?
- No. Fordwater School, Chichester has no designated religious character.
- What SEN provision does Fordwater School, Chichester have?
- The schools register lists Fordwater School, Chichester's special educational needs provision as: SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Fordwater School, Chichester's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2023/24 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Fordwater School, Chichester's absence rate?
- Fordwater School, Chichester's overall absence rate is 11.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Fordwater School, Chichester's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Fordwater School, Chichester's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.