When are the 2026 GCSE results for East Sussex schools published?

Pupils receive their results in August, but school-by-school figures come from the DfE performance tables, which publish provisional results in the autumn (usually mid-October) and revised figures early in the new year. This table shows 2026 results, the 2025/26 academic year, and updates when the next release is imported.

What is Attainment 8?

Attainment 8 is the DfE's headline GCSE measure: the average points a school's pupils achieved across eight qualifications, with English and maths counted twice. A score of 50 means pupils averaged roughly a grade 5 across those subjects. No Progress 8 exists for 2026 because these pupils sat no Key Stage 2 tests in 2021.

Why does a school in East Sussex show no GCSE results?

A school has no published figure when it had no Year 11 cohort in the year (a new school, or one that opened with younger year groups), when it converted to an academy and the DfE published results under its previous identity, or when it is independent and its pupils sat IGCSE, Pre-U or IB qualifications that the DfE tables do not count. Independent schools with a published figure are listed separately and unranked for that reason.

East Sussex GCSE results 2026: secondary school league table

Q: Which school has the best GCSE results in East Sussex?

On 2026 Attainment 8, Varndean School tops the table in East Sussex with 54.7, against an England average of 46.2. Attainment 8 rewards intake as well as teaching, so compare a school's grade 5+ pass rate and, where published, its Progress 8 before reading the rank as a verdict.

33 state secondary schools in East Sussex ranked on their 2026 GCSE results (Attainment 8, the 2025/26 academic year, the latest DfE has published for every school), with grade 7+, grade 5+ and grade 4+ in English and maths, cohort size for each school against the England average. 2 schools with no published results are listed at the end. 13 independent schools with published results are listed separately, unranked.

County 35 state secondary schools 2025/26 results

Secondary schools in East Sussex ranked on Attainment 8

33 of 35 schools have published 2026 results. Source: DfE school performance tables, 2025/26.

Secondary schools in East Sussex ranked on Attainment 8, 2026 results
Rank	School	Attainment 8	Grade 7+ English & maths	Grade 5+ English & maths	Grade 4+ English & maths	EBacc APS	Pupils
–	England average	46.2	14%	46%	65%	–	–
1 , up 8 places since 2025	Varndean School Brighton · Community school	54.7	21%	68%	82%	–	293
2	Blatchington Mill School Hove · Community school	52.5	19%	57%	78%	–	324
3 , up 1 place since 2025	Cardinal Newman Catholic School Hove · Voluntary aided school	50.9	13%	54%	75%	–	372
4 , up 6 places since 2025	King's Academy Ringmer Lewes · Academy converter	50.6	13%	54%	76%	–	107
5 , down 4 places since 2025	Dorothy Stringer School Brighton · Community school	50.5	17%	52%	75%	–	327
6 , down 3 places since 2025	Heathfield Community College Heathfield · Community school	50.0	14%	48%	74%	–	225
7 , up 1 place since 2025	Chailey School Lewes · Community school	49.7	16%	58%	69%	–	170
8 , down 2 places since 2025	Beacon Academy Crowborough · Academy converter	49.4	13%	57%	79%	–	254
9 , up 5 places since 2025	Gildredge House Eastbourne · Free schools	48.9	15%	50%	69%	–	147
10 , up 5 places since 2025	Priory School Lewes · Foundation school	48.7	20%	53%	71%	–	231
11 , down 4 places since 2025	Seaford Head School Seaford · Academy converter	48.5	13%	55%	74%	–	240
12	The Cavendish School Eastbourne · Academy converter	48.2	12%	51%	67%	–	174
13 , down 8 places since 2025	Claverham Community College Battle · Community school	48.0	12%	51%	68%	–	227
14 , down 1 place since 2025	Uckfield College Uckfield · Community school	47.7	15%	44%	67%	–	260
15 , up 1 place since 2025	Patcham High School Brighton · Community school	46.7	15%	50%	71%	–	224
16 , up 5 places since 2025	Uplands Academy Wadhurst · Academy converter	46.4	11%	52%	74%	–	146
17 , up 5 places since 2025	Bexhill High Academy Bexhill-on-Sea · Academy converter	45.7	8%	51%	70%	–	276
18 , down 8 places since 2025	St Catherine's College Eastbourne · Academy converter	45.6	12%	45%	66%	–	208
19 , down 1 place since 2025	Ratton School Eastbourne · Academy converter	45.5	8%	45%	60%	–	239
20	Ark Alexandra Academy Hastings · Academy sponsor led	45.4	13%	53%	71%	–	238
21 , down 4 places since 2025	Willingdon Community School Eastbourne · Community school	45.2	11%	49%	66%	–	207
22 , down 3 places since 2025	Portslade Aldridge Community Academy Brighton · Academy sponsor led	44.1	7%	46%	69%	–	154
23 , up 1 place since 2025	Seahaven Academy Newhaven · Academy sponsor led	42.7	10%	45%	65%	–	141
24 , down 1 place since 2025	Hove Park School and Sixth Form Centre Hove · Community school	42.0	10%	40%	62%	–	249
25 , up 3 places since 2025	Rye College Rye · Academy converter	40.6	13%	33%	60%	–	117
26	Robertsbridge Community College Robertsbridge · Academy sponsor led	40.3	12%	41%	54%	–	135
27 , down 1 place since 2025	Mulberry Academy Hastings Hastings · Academy sponsor led	38.5	1%	27%	51%	–	139
28 , down 3 places since 2025	Peacehaven Community School Peacehaven · Academy converter	38.3	1%	27%	55%	–	175
29 , down 2 places since 2025	The Eastbourne Academy Eastbourne · Academy sponsor led	37.1	5%	26%	50%	–	165
30 , up 1 place since 2025	Longhill High School Brighton · Community school	36.3	9%	23%	38%	–	158
31	Hailsham Academy Hailsham · Academy converter	35.4	3%	29%	47%	–	233
32 , down 3 places since 2025	Brighton Aldridge Community Academy Brighton · Academy sponsor led	33.2	5%	24%	43%	–	147
33 , down 3 places since 2025	The Turing School Eastbourne · Academy sponsor led	31.7	2%	19%	36%	–	138
–	Mulberry Academy St Leonards St Leonards-on-Sea · Academy sponsor led · No published GCSE results	–	–	–	–	–	–
–	St Richard's Catholic College Bexhill-on-Sea · Academy converter · No published GCSE results	–	–	–	–	–	–

Under each rank: the change since the 2025 table, in places gained (+) or lost (−). No figure means the rank is unchanged or the school had no ranked 2025 result.

Independent schools in East Sussex with published GCSE results

Listed as published, not ranked. The DfE tables count only reformed GCSEs, so a school whose pupils sit IGCSE, Pre-U or the IB reports a lower figure than its results merit, or none at all. Compare independent schools on their own published examination results and inspection reports.

School	Attainment 8 (as published)	Grade 5+ English & maths	Pupils
Battle Abbey School East Sussex · Other independent school	19.2	0%	114
Bede's Senior School Hailsham · Other independent school	27.6	0%	182
Brighton College Brighton · Other independent school	57.3	0%	233
Buckswood School East Sussex · Other independent school	13.6	0%	34
Claremont School St Leonards-on-Sea · Other independent school	43.2	0%	52
Eastbourne College Eastbourne · Other independent school	37.8	0%	132
Greenfields School Other independent school	32.5	46%	11
Lewes Old Grammar School Other independent school	54.8	67%	127
Mayfield School Mayfield · Other independent school	56.8	60%	88
Michael Hall School Forest Row · Other independent school	45.5	59%	41
Oxford International College, Brighton Brighton · Other independent school	15.6	0%	29
Roedean School Brighton · Other independent school	18.6	0%	104
The Montessori Place Hove · Other independent school	17.0	43%	14

How to read this table

Attainment 8 is the average points a school's pupils achieved across eight GCSE subjects: English and maths (double-weighted), three EBacc subjects (sciences, computing, history, geography, languages) and three further approved qualifications. The DfE publishes it for every state school; the England average for 2026 was 46.2.

Grade 7+ in English and maths is the share of pupils reaching the top grades, 7 to 9, in both; grade 5+ is the "strong pass"; grade 4+ is the "standard pass". The DfE stopped publishing EBacc entry and the EBacc average point score from the 2025/26 results, so that column is empty for 2026.

Progress 8 is not shown: the DfE published no Progress 8 for 2026 because these pupils sat no Key Stage 2 tests in 2021, the baseline it is measured from. Attainment 8 rewards intake as well as teaching, so a selective school will usually top an attainment-only table.

Ranks are shared where scores tie. Schools are ranked here on published results alone; our composite score, which also weighs Ofsted inspection, progress and attendance, orders the same schools on the best secondary schools page.

See the best secondary schools in East Sussex on our composite score

East Sussex GCSE results 2026: secondary school league table

Secondary schools in East Sussex ranked on Attainment 8

Independent schools in East Sussex with published GCSE results

More about schools in East Sussex

East Sussex GCSE results: common questions