OFSTED
16 April 2024
Latest graded inspection
Latest published outcome
Outstanding
OEIF
Quality of education
Outstanding
Behaviour & attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership & management
Outstanding
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
8 December 2022
Ungraded inspection
School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next
Published
2 February 2023
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Does not apply
Local authority
East Sussex
Trust
MARK EDUCATION TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
1,642
1,642 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
827
50.4% of pupils
Male pupils
815
49.6% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
12.2 pts
below England
School
12.6%
Wealden
15.7%
South East
19.0%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
15.4 pts
below England
School
4.9%
Wealden
3.8%
South East
15.6%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
1.0 pts
below England
School
0.0%
Wealden
0.5%
South East
1.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
84.7%
1,390
Any other White background
5.5%
91
White and Asian
1.7%
28
Any other ethnic group
1.3%
22
Any other Mixed background
1.2%
20
African
1.1%
18
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
13.9%
228 of
1,642 pupils
6.9 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
3.2 pts
below
England
6.0%
3.8 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
50.2
11.0 pts
above England
Latest published: 0.50 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
9.09%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
2.88 pts
higher than
England
School
9.09%
Wealden
7.09%
South East
6.30%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
23.76%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
7.94 pts
higher than
England
School
23.76%
Wealden
17.24%
South East
15.75%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
3.95%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
2.14 pts
higher than
England
School
3.95%
Wealden
2.65%
South East
1.93%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open secondary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
105.9%
13.6 pts
above England
Beacon Academy
105.9%
Wealden
93.1%
South East
95.0%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.