OFSTED
17 January 2023
Latest graded inspection
Latest published outcome
Good
OEIF
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour & attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership & management
Good
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
East Sussex
Trust
AQUINAS CHURCH OF ENGLAND EDUCATION TRUST LIMITED
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
645
645 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
303
47.0% of pupils
Male pupils
342
53.0% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
12.3 pts
above England
School
37.1%
Rother
21.6%
South East
19.0%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
15.6 pts
below England
School
4.7%
Rother
5.4%
South East
15.6%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
3.3 pts
above England
School
4.3%
Rother
0.6%
South East
1.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
87.1%
562
Any other White background
4.2%
27
White and Asian
2.3%
15
Any other Mixed background
2.0%
13
Unclassified
1.2%
8
White and Black Caribbean
0.9%
6
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
26.8%
173 of
645 pupils
6.0 pts
above England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
11.3 pts
above
England
6.0%
5.3 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
36.8
2.4 pts
below England
Latest published: -0.85 · 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
12.90%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
6.68 pts
higher than
England
School
12.90%
Rother
6.17%
South East
6.30%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
42.52%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
26.70 pts
higher than
England
School
42.52%
Rother
16.33%
South East
15.75%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
6.96%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
5.16 pts
higher than
England
School
6.96%
Rother
1.52%
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
86.0%
6.3 pts
below England
Rye College
86.0%
Rother
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.