West Sussex Alternative Provision College
Cuckfield Road, Burgess Hill, RH15 8RE
- Phase
- Local authority maintained schools
- School type
- Pupil referral unit
- Ages
- 5 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Head Teacher
- Mr Doug Thomas
- Constituency
- Mid Sussex
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 292
- Pupils on roll
- 254
- URN
- 131182
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01444232771
About this school
West Sussex Alternative Provision College is a special school in Burgess Hill. It teaches children aged 5 to 16 and has 254 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected West Sussex Alternative Provision College, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 22 May 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. 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.
Trends over time
How West Sussex Alternative Provision College has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 139 |
| 2023/24 | 200 |
| 2024/25 | 242 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 63.64%
- English as an additional language
- 4.1%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Hambrook School0.8 miles
Special schools · Burgess Hill
-
Woodlands Meed1.5 miles
Special schools · Burgess Hill
-
Burgess Hill Girls1.6 miles
Independent schools · Burgess Hill
-
Hurstpierpoint College2.2 miles
Independent schools · Hassocks
-
Farney Close School2.4 miles
Special schools · Haywards Heath
Other schools in Burgess Hill
- Hambrook School Special schools
- Woodlands Meed Special schools
- Birchwood Grove Community Primary School, Burgess Hill Primary
- London Meed Community Primary School Primary
- Oak Tree Primary School Primary
- Sheddingdean Community Primary School Primary
- Southway Junior School Primary
- St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School Primary
- The Gattons Infant School Primary
- St Paul's Catholic College Secondary
- The Burgess Hill Academy Secondary
- Burgess Hill Girls Independent schools
Common questions
- What ages does West Sussex Alternative Provision College teach?
- West Sussex Alternative Provision College teaches children aged 5 to 16. It is a special school in Burgess Hill.
- Who is the head teacher of West Sussex Alternative Provision College?
- The head teacher of West Sussex Alternative Provision College is Mr Doug Thomas, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has West Sussex Alternative Provision College been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected West Sussex Alternative Provision College, 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 West Sussex Alternative Provision College?
- West Sussex Alternative Provision College has 254 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 16.
- Is West Sussex Alternative Provision College full?
- West Sussex Alternative Provision College has capacity for 292 pupils and 254 on roll (87%), so it has space against 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 West Sussex Alternative Provision College a faith school?
- No. West Sussex Alternative Provision College has no designated religious character.
- Does West Sussex Alternative Provision College publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for West Sussex Alternative Provision College. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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.