Ofsted: Expected standard trending_up Popular emoji_events #9 in East Sussex public Top 24% UK

Chailey School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

person Mr Paul Holt (Headteacher)

location_onLewes, BN8 4PU

language Visit Website phone 01273890407

verified

Ofsted

Expected standard

Inspected 2026

groups

Students

827

trending_up

Attainment 8

49.7

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#5 in East Sussex

#1,197 of 4,024 nationally

summarize

Chailey School is a Community school secondary school in Lewes, serving ages 11-16. Assessed at Expected standard by Ofsted on its latest Report Card inspection. Demand is above capacity (1.3×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Chailey School is a community school in Lewes, East Sussex, admitting pupils aged 11-16. The school has approximately 862 pupils on roll, of whom 15% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2026, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 49.7, placing the school #5 in East Sussex and #1,197 of 4,024 nationally. 57.60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 22.4% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2026. The school's current overall rating is Expected standard. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Expected standard, behaviour and attitudes Strong standard, personal development Strong standard, and leadership and management Strong standard.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.3× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.9:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 3.8 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2026

Attainment 8 Score

49.7

across 8 GCSE slots

Grade 5+ E&M

57.60%

Grade 4+ E&M

68.80%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)22.4%

5+ GCSEs (4+ incl. E&M)66.50%

Triple Science Entry28.80%

EBacc Slot Score14.7 / 30

2025

Attainment 8 Score

49.3

across 8 GCSE slots

Grade 5+ E&M

52.40%

Grade 4+ E&M

71.40%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)25.7%

Entering EBacc71.40%

EBacc APS4.66

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.36

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

53.4

Grade 5+ E&M

65.20%

Entering EBacc72.90%

EBacc APS5.01

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.08

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

47.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc77%

EBacc APS4.51

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.01

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc77%

EBacc APS4.83

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.04

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

49.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc46%

EBacc APS4.48

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.56

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

52.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc70%

EBacc APS4.87

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2026

Stayed in Education / Employment

90.3%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)88.4%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment1.9%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)9%

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)84%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)89%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)92%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

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Ranking History & Trajectory

National & Local Authority position based on DfE performance data · Methodology

Year	Secondary Overall (Nat)	LA Rank	GCSE Attainment	Progress 8 Rank
2026	#1,380 / 4,024	#9	#1,197	#1
2025	#1,257 / 3,948	#6	#1,225	#1
2024	#539 / 4,450	#3	#755	#738
2023	#1,234 / 4,321	#9	#1,490	#1,697
2022	#1,342 / 4,199	#11	#1,241	#1,458
2019	#1,056 / 2,711	#8	#985	#1,269
2018	#366 / 2,537	#1	#536	#306

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

10 February 2026

Inspection Report

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19 January 2022

Inspection Report

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10 January 2017

Inspection Report

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08 February 2012

Inspection Report

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30 June 2010

Inspection Report

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02 February 2009

Inspection Report

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10 October 2006

Inspection Report

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08 May 2001

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2026-02-10

S5 Inspection REIF Report Card

Report Card

info

Why no single overall grade?

From autumn 2024 / 2025, Ofsted replaced single-word headline grades (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate) with individual area judgements on a Report Card.

Curriculum & Teaching

Expected standard

Achievement

Expected standard

Attendance & Behaviour

Strong standard

Personal Development

Strong standard

Inclusion

Strong standard

Leadership & Governance

Strong standard

verified_user Safeguarding: Met

2017-01-10

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

2012-02-08

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Latest Ungraded: School remains Good

2006-10-10

None EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

4.2%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

3.2%(27 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 855 pupils. During this period, there were 36 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 4.2%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	855	36	4.2%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	869	29	3.3%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	835	23	2.8%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	840	12	1.4%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	851	25	2.9%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	828	36	4.3%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	827	35	4.2%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	836	37	4.4%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	798	15	1.9%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	788	16	2.0%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	798	12	1.5%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	785	19	2.4%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	787	10	1.3%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	782	34	4.3%	3.9%	1
2019/20 (Summer term)	759	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	759	11	1.4%	3.2%	1
2019/20 (Autumn term)	764	16	2.1%	4.2%	2
2018/19 (Summer term)	753	17	2.3%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	756	23	3.0%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	756	22	2.9%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	724	14	1.9%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	731	22	3.0%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	734	25	3.4%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	730	9	1.2%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	728	26	3.6%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	724	5	0.7%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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psychology_alt

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Specific Learning Difficulty 38 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 32 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 30 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 13 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 7 pupils

Hearing Impairment 3 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 3 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

Physical Disability 2 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

Overall, how do parents view this school?

86%Positive

My child is happy at this school.

87%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

89%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

When bullying took place, the school dealt with it quickly and effectively.

strongly agree31%

agree20%

disagree17%

strongly disagree7%

don't know4%

not applicable77%

Neither agree nor disagree20%

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree47%

agree41%

disagree3%

Neither agree nor disagree8%

When the school makes decisions it has the child's best interests at heart.

strongly agree45%

agree38%

Neither agree nor disagree10%

disagree5%

strongly disagree2%

Don't know1%

The school gives my child the right support to enable them to learn well.

strongly agree43%

agree37%

Neither agree nor disagree10%

disagree6%

strongly disagree3%

Don't know1%

The school communicates well with me about the things I need to know.

strongly agree51%

agree35%

disagree6%

strongly disagree1%

Neither agree nor disagree6%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly.

strongly agree42%

agree27%

disagree3%

strongly disagree5%

not applicable17%

Neither agree nor disagree7%

Does your child have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND)?

yes33%

no67%

My child has SEND, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree34%

agree31%

disagree21%

strongly disagree5%

Neither agree nor disagree9%

Would you recommend this school to another parent?

yes92%

no8%

Top Secondary Schools in East Sussex

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

King's Academy Ringmer

Good

location_on Lewes, BN8 5RB

emoji_events #1 in LA

Gildredge House

Good

location_on Eastbourne, BN20 8AB

emoji_events #2 in LA

Heathfield Community College

Good

location_on Heathfield, TN21 8RJ

emoji_events #3 in LA

Beacon Academy

Outstanding

location_on Crowborough, TN6 2AS

emoji_events #4 in LA

Mayfield School

N/A

location_on Mayfield, TN20 6PH

emoji_events #5 in LA

Priory School

Good

location_on Lewes, BN7 2XN

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in East Sussex arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Ranking History & Trajectory

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Overall, how do parents view this school?

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

When bullying took place, the school dealt with it quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

When the school makes decisions it has the child's best interests at heart.

The school gives my child the right support to enable them to learn well.

The school communicates well with me about the things I need to know.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly.

Does your child have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND)?

My child has SEND, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

Would you recommend this school to another parent?

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in East Sussex

King's Academy Ringmer

Gildredge House

Heathfield Community College

Beacon Academy

Mayfield School

Priory School