Chailey SchoolDownlands Community School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
Chailey School and Downlands Community School are secondary schools.
Chailey School scores 68 out of 100 (grade C, average) and Downlands Community School scores 72 out of 100 (grade B, strong). Downlands Community School is ahead on our composite score.
Chailey School was judged strong and Downlands Community School was judged strong.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 49.7 for Chailey School and 58.3 for Downlands Community School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Chailey School (51.7 in 2021-22, 49.7 in 2025-26) and has held broadly level at Downlands Community School (57.2 in 2021-22, 58.3 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | LewesChailey School | HassocksDownlands Community School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C68/100 | B72/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 4th of 24 in East Sussex | 5th of 40 in West Sussex | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Strong | Ofsted: Strong | |
| School type | Community school | Community school | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 862 | 1,250 | |
| Capacity | 870 | 1,200 | |
| Location | Lewes, BN8 4PU | Hassocks, BN6 8LP | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 49.7 | 58.3 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 57.6% | 68.9% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 68.8% | 84.9% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 170 | 238 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 855 | 1,250 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 13.3% | 8.3% | |
| English as an additional language | 2.5% | 4.0% | |
| SEN support | 12.5% | 20.6% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 3.0% | 2.0% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 6.8% Stronger figure | 7.6% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 18.1% Stronger figure | 19.1% | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Chailey School
Downlands Community School
Full profiles: Chailey School · Downlands Community School