St Philip Howard Catholic School
Elm Grove South, Barnham, Bognor Regis, PO22 0EN
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BOSCO CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Tim Hulse
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Arundel and Brighton
- Sponsor
- Bosco Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- Arundel and South Downs
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,033
- Pupils on roll
- 1,322
- URN
- 144243
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01243552055
About this school
St Philip Howard Catholic School is a Roman Catholic secondary academy in Bognor Regis. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,322 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Philip Howard Catholic School, 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
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Strong standard
- Achievement
- Strong standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Strong standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Expected standard
- Leadership and governance
- Strong standard
- Post-16 provision
- Strong standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 194 | 178 | 212 |
| Attainment 8 score | 52.7 | 53.6 | 52.5 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.44 +0.24 to +0.64 | +0.68 +0.47 to +0.89 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 54% | 52.8% | 47.6% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 76% | 79.2% | 73.6% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 22% | 28.1% | 61.3% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.8 |
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 St Philip Howard Catholic School 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 | 52.7 | 37.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 53.6 | 37.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 52.5 | 36 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,177 |
| 2023/24 | 1,247 |
| 2024/25 | 1,301 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Philip Howard Catholic School compares
St Philip Howard Catholic School ranked 7th of 38 secondary schools in West Sussex for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 82% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 52.5 | 6.9% | 12.4% | 1,322 | — |
| Ormiston Six Villages Academy | 42.8 | 7.8% | 20.8% | 731 | 1.0 miles |
| Felpham Community College | 41.9 | 8.8% | 20.4% | 1,520 | 2.8 miles |
| The Regis School | 43.6 | 8.1% | 25.2% | 1,679 | 3.4 miles |
| The Littlehampton Academy | 37.2 | 12.7% | 25.7% | 1,324 | 5.0 miles |
| Chichester High School | 39 | 10.7% | 29.3% | 1,191 | 5.7 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 12.43%
- English as an additional language
- 18.1%
- Overall absence
- 6.89%
- Persistent absence
- 16.62%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Ormiston Six Villages Academy1.0 miles
Secondary · Chichester
-
Felpham Community College2.8 miles
Secondary · Bognor Regis
-
The Regis School3.4 miles
Secondary · West Sussex
-
The Littlehampton Academy5.0 miles
Secondary · Littlehampton
-
Chichester High School5.7 miles
Secondary · Chichester
Other schools in Bognor Regis
- Felpham Community College Secondary
- Bognor Regis Nursery School Nursery
- Barnham Primary School Primary
- Bartons Primary School, Bognor Regis Primary
- Bersted Green Primary School, Bognor Regis Primary
- Bishop Tufnell CofE Primary School, Felpham Primary
- Downview Primary School Primary
- Edward Bryant School Primary
- Nyewood CofE Infant School Primary
- Nyewood CofE Junior School Primary
- Rose Green Infant School Primary
- Rose Green Junior School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Philip Howard Catholic School teach?
- St Philip Howard Catholic School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Bognor Regis.
- Who is the headteacher of St Philip Howard Catholic School?
- The headteacher of St Philip Howard Catholic School is Mr Tim Hulse, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Philip Howard Catholic School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Philip Howard Catholic School, 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 St Philip Howard Catholic School?
- St Philip Howard Catholic School has 1,322 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is St Philip Howard Catholic School full?
- St Philip Howard Catholic School has capacity for 1,033 pupils and 1,322 on roll (128%), 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 St Philip Howard Catholic School a faith school?
- Yes. St Philip Howard Catholic School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton.
- Is St Philip Howard Catholic School a selective school?
- No. St Philip Howard Catholic School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is St Philip Howard Catholic School part of an academy trust?
- St Philip Howard Catholic School is part of BOSCO CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Philip Howard Catholic School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 52.7 in 2022/23 and 52.5 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Philip Howard Catholic School compare with other schools in West Sussex?
- St Philip Howard Catholic School ranked 7th of 38 secondary schools in West Sussex for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 82% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Philip Howard Catholic School's absence rate?
- St Philip Howard Catholic School's overall absence rate is 6.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Philip Howard Catholic School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Philip Howard Catholic School'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 10 July 2026.