Downlands Community SchoolSt Paul's Catholic College
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
Downlands Community School and St Paul's Catholic College are secondary schools.
Downlands Community School scores 72 out of 100 (grade B, strong) and St Paul's Catholic College scores 76 out of 100 (grade B, strong). St Paul's Catholic College is ahead on our composite score.
Downlands Community School was judged strong and St Paul's Catholic College was judged Outstanding.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 58.3 for Downlands Community School and 57.8 for St Paul's Catholic College.
GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at Downlands Community School (57.2 in 2021-22, 58.3 in 2025-26) and has held broadly level at St Paul's Catholic College (56.1 in 2022-23, 57.8 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | HassocksDownlands Community School | Burgess HillSt Paul's Catholic College | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | B72/100 | B76/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 5th of 40 in West Sussex | 2nd of 40 in West Sussex Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Strong | Ofsted: OutstandingStronger figure | |
| School type | Community school | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,250 | 1,160 | |
| Capacity | 1,200 | 1,050 | |
| Location | Hassocks, BN6 8LP | Burgess Hill, RH15 8GA | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 58.3 Stronger figure | 57.8 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 68.9% Stronger figure | 68.1% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 84.9% | 86.3% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 238 | 182 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | Not reported | 108 | |
| A-level average points | Not reported | 36.9 | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | Not reported | B- | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | Not reported | 38.6 | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | Not reported | 17.1% | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,250 | 1,190 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 8.3% | 9.3% | |
| English as an additional language | 4.0% | 11.2% | |
| SEN support | 20.6% | 16.6% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.0% | 2.9% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 7.6% | 5.8% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 19.1% | 12.8% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Downlands Community School
St Paul's Catholic College
Full profiles: Downlands Community School · St Paul's Catholic College