Oriel High School is a mainstream secondary school with resourced provision in Crawley, West Sussex, for children and young people aged 11 to 18. Its specialist base has 24 places for specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia).
- Ages 11–18
- 1,441 pupils
School details
- Type
- Mainstream school with resourced provision
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Specialist base
- Resourced provision, 24 places, 16 pupils
- Pupils
- 1,441
- Headteacher
- Mr Philip Stack (Headteacher)
- Council
- West Sussex
- School reference (URN)
- 134042
Needs its base supports
1 need: dyslexia and SpLD
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Cognition and learning
- Specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia) Other schools for this in West Sussex (4)
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places in an SEN unit or resourced provision are usually for children with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask about the base
See the school and its specialist base, and ask how children split their time between the base and mainstream classes.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often West Sussex council) that you want this school and its base, and ask them to consult it.
- Named in the plan
If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Places in the base itself are agreed between the council and the school, so ask how they decide.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Graded by area, March 2025; school remains Good (October 2019)
Inspected in March 2025. Inspections from September 2024 to November 2025 graded each area but gave no overall grade.
- Quality of educationGood
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementGood
- Sixth formGood
- SafeguardingEffective
Since then: School remains Good (ungraded inspection, October 2019).
Contact and getting there
Matthews Drive, Maidenbower, Crawley, RH10 7XW
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
Email me these details
The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery Mainstream + base · Ages 2–7 0.3 miles
- Maidenbower Junior School Mainstream + base · Ages 7–11 · Ofsted: Good 0.3 miles
- Serenity School Crawley Independent · Ages 5–18 · Ofsted: Good 0.9 miles
All SEND schools in West Sussex
By need in West Sussex: Autism (21) · Speech and language (19) · Moderate learning (9) · Physical (9) · Severe learning (8) · Hearing (8) · SEMH (7) · Dyslexia and SpLD (5) · PMLD (4) · Vision (3) · Multi-sensory (2)
Questions about Oriel High School
How do I get a place in Oriel High School’s specialist base?
Places in an SEN unit or resourced provision usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult the school about its base. If the school is named in the plan it must admit your child; places in the base itself are agreed between the council and the school.
What needs does Oriel High School support?
Specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia). Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Oriel High School take?
Aged 11 to 18, boys and girls.
What is Oriel High School’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2025 at its last graded inspection. Newer inspections no longer give a single overall grade, so read the latest report for the full picture.
Where is Oriel High School?
Matthews Drive, Maidenbower, Crawley, RH10 7XW, in West Sussex.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.