SCHOOL PROFILE

Priory School

Secondary Foundation school URN 114598
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,160 Published school capacity
Capacity used 99.4% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

8 November 2023
Latest published outcome School remains Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Foundation school
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority East Sussex
Trust The Lewes Co-operative Learning Partnership
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,153 1,153 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 559 48.5% of pupils
Male pupils 594 51.5% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

19.7%
5.1 pts below England
School 19.7%
Lewes 19.7%
South East 19.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

3.7%
16.6 pts below England
School 3.7%
Lewes 6.3%
South East 15.6%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.2%
0.8 pts below England
School 0.2%
Lewes 1.4%
South East 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
82.3%
949
Any other White background
5.6%
65
Any other Mixed background
2.7%
31
White and Asian
1.6%
18
Unclassified
1.2%
14
White and Black Caribbean
1.2%
14
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 29.2% 337 of 1,153 pupils
8.4 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 29.2%
Lewes 22.2%
South East 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 25.4% 293 pupils
England 14.8% 10.6 pts above
EHC plans 3.8% 44 pupils
England 6.0% 2.2 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 89
Autistic spectrum disorder 84
Specific learning difficulty 73
Speech, language & communication 53
Moderate learning difficulty 13
Hearing impairment 9

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

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

46.4 7.2 pts above England
School 46.4
Lewes 34.2
South East 38.5
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 52.4% England 36.0% 16.4 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 69.3% England 51.4% 17.9 pts above England
EBacc entry 64.4% England 30.6% 33.8 pts above England
EBacc average point score 4.35 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.48 · 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

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

12.07%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

5.85 pts higher than England
School 12.07%
Lewes 8.03%
South East 6.30%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

32.94%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

17.12 pts higher than England
School 32.94%
Lewes 19.26%
South East 15.75%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

7.01%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

5.21 pts higher than England
School 7.01%
Lewes 3.97%
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

99.4% 7.1 pts above England
Priory School
99.4%
Lewes
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.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information