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OpenOfsted: Standards maintainedURN 114680

Downs View Special School

Community special school · Brighton · BN2 6BB

Ages 3–19 · 224 pupils · Brighton and Hove

School website

Ofsted

Standards maintained

Overall absence

10.4%

Ofsted

Latest published inspection outcomes — not a ranking.

Read full report

Headline

Standards maintained

Inspection date

2025-07-21

Source: Ofsted monthly management information

Performance

Official school-level results. Figures are not rankings — suppressed values are omitted.

Key stage 4 (2023/24)

Key stage 2 (2023/24)

Expected standard (RWM)0%
Higher standard (RWM)0%

Source: DfE school and college performance tables

Absence

Academic year 2023/24. Persistent absence means 10%+ of sessions missed. Lower figures are better.

Overall absence10.4%
Persistent absence (10%+)37.0%
Unauthorised0.8%
Authorised absence
9.5%
Severe absence (50%+)
3.0%
Enrolments in measure
165

Absence trend

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

  • Overall
  • Persistent (10%+)

Source: DfE pupil absence in schools in England

Size & intake

From the GIAS school census (15 Jan 2026).

Capacity fill100%

224 pupils · 223 places

Pupils on roll
224
Boys / girls
175 / 49
School capacity
223
Capacity fill
224 / 223 (100%)
Free school meals
60.8%
FSM pupils
107
Gender
Mixed
School type
Community special school

Age range

Ages 3–19

05111619

Provision

Official GIAS characteristics

2 / 6

  • Nursery
  • Sixth formHas a sixth form
  • Boarding
  • Special school
  • Independent
  • Academy

School characteristics

Special classes
Has Special Classes
Governance
Community special school
Headteacher
Ms Vanessa Hickey

Location

Address
Warren Road, Woodingdean
Postcode
BN2 6BB
Town
Brighton
County
East Sussex
Local authority
Brighton and Hove
District
Brighton and Hove
Constituency
Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven
Urban/rural
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

SEN & specialist provision

As recorded in GIAS — provision detail, not an Ofsted judgement.

SEN types
VI - Visual Impairment; OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability; HI - Hearing Impairment; SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment; PD - Physical Disability; MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty; SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty; PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
Special classes
Has Special Classes

Local context

How this school sits among open establishments in its area, using official GIAS records. These are counts, not rankings.

Mixed community special school, Ages 3–19, in Brighton, Brighton and Hove, 224 pupils on roll. Notable characteristics: sixth form, special school. Free school meals: 60.8%. SEN provision includes: VI - Visual Impairment; OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability; HI - Hearing Impairment….

Open schools in Brighton
63
Academies among open schools in Brighton
13% (8)
Open schools in BN2
28
Open schools in Brighton and Hove LA
83

Nearby schools

Open schools within about 3 miles, prioritising the same phase where possible. Distances are approximate from GIAS coordinates.

Compare with theseAll in BrightonNear BN2

  • Woodingdean Primary School

    Ofsted: Good

    Academy converter · Primary

    Brighton · BN2 6BB · Brighton and Hove

    Ages 4–11

    0.0 miles away

  • Rudyard Kipling Primary School & Nursery

    Ofsted: School remains Good

    Community school · Primary

    Brighton · BN2 6RH · Brighton and Hove

    Ages 2–11

    • KS269%
    • Absence6.4%
    • FSM22.8%
    • Demand0.90

    0.7 miles away

  • Bevendean Primary School and Nursery

    Ofsted: Not judged

    Community school · Primary

    Brighton · BN2 4JP · Brighton and Hove

    Ages 3–11

    • KS271%
    • Absence6.7%
    • FSM47.8%
    • Demand0.97

    1.0 miles away

  • Longhill High School

    Ofsted: Requires improvement

    Community school · Secondary

    Brighton · BN2 7FR · Brighton and Hove

    Ages 11–16

    • Att836.1
    • P8-0.7
    • EM5+27%
    • Absence15.4%

    1.2 miles away

  • City Academy Whitehawk

    Ofsted: Good

    Academy sponsor led · Primary

    Brighton · BN2 5FL · Brighton and Hove

    Ages 2–11

    • KS258%
    • Absence8.7%
    • FSM63.1%
    • Demand0.96

    1.4 miles away

  • Roedean School

    Other independent school

    Brighton · BN2 5RQ · Brighton and Hove

    Ages 11–18

    • Att818.4
    • EM5+0%

    1.6 miles away

  • St Mark's CofE Primary School

    Ofsted: Not judged

    Voluntary aided school · Primary

    Brighton · BN2 5EA · Brighton and Hove

    Ages 4–11

    • KS234%
    • Absence8.7%
    • FSM60.9%
    • Demand0.93

    1.7 miles away

New to reading school data? See Ofsted ratings explained and how to compare schools.

Contact

Headteacher
Ms Vanessa Hickey
Telephone
01273601680
Website
http://www.downsview.brighton-hove.sch.uk/

Official links