Heathfield Community College

Community school·Secondary school Heathfield, East Sussex·TN21 8RJ
Composite score
63.3
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#846
National rank
#161
In South East
#2
In East Sussex
Top 27%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
50.6
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
—
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
54%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
73%
% EBacc grade 5+
21%
EBacc average points score
4.49

Ofsted judgements

Legacy framework · Read full report ↗

Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding
Safeguarding effective?
Yes
Sixth form provision
Outstanding

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
87%
271 first choices, 248 places
First choices per place
1.09
more first choices than places
Applications naming the school
482
any preference, for 248 places
Last place offered lived
5.96 mi
straight line, 2026 intake · 9590 m
First preferences per place, last five years▲ 0.15
00.511.5
1 per place
1.2820221.0320231.0620240.9420251.092026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

The cut-off distance is how far the last child offered a place lived, not a catchment boundary: it moves every year with the number of applicants. Published by the council in its 2026 allocation figures, and checked against that document before we show it.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
11–18
Pupils on roll
1,437
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Admissions
Non-Selective

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
15.7%
Typical secondary: 27.5%
% EAL
2.1%
Typical secondary: 12.0%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
6.9%
Typical secondary: 13.7%
% with an EHC plan
2.5%
Typical secondary: 2.9%

Attendance

Overall absence
10.7%
Typical secondary: 8.9%
Persistently absent
34.6%
Typical secondary: 25.7%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
16.1
Typical secondary: 16.7
Spend per pupil
£7,563
Typical secondary: £7,815

“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means

What pupils do next

The share of this school's Year 11 leavers in education, training or employment for at least two terms afterwards.

In education, training or work
92%
239 pupils tracked
Stayed in education
87%
Apprenticeship
4%
Employment
2%

DfE, KS4 destination measures.

Nearby secondary schools

Location

About Heathfield Community College

Heathfield Community College is a secondary school in Heathfield, East Sussex, classified by the DfE as a community school. Around 1,437 pupils aged 11 to 18 attend the school. The school holds a 'Good' judgement from Ofsted. The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 50.6 — above the national average (national average: 46). Its Attainment 8 score has risen by 1.1 points year on year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the top 27% of secondary schools nationally.

54% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, above the national average of about 45%. 73% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Heathfield Community College is oversubscribed: about 9 in 10 of the families who made it their first choice were offered a Year 7 place for September 2026, with 271 first choices for 248 places. In 2026 the furthest child offered a place lived 5.96 miles from the school in a straight line, according to the council's published allocation figures; the distance changes every year with demand. After Year 11, 92% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 10.7%. There are about 16.1 pupils per teacher. When comparing schools, it is still worth visiting in person to see whether the atmosphere and approach suit your child. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.

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