Chailey School
Secondary · Community school · Ages 11–16 · Lewes, East Sussex
Last distance offered · Year 7 2026
3.86 miles
Published by East Sussex County Council · offers on 2 March 2026
Year 7 last distance offered, 2019–2026 (miles)
Chailey School is a secondary school in Lewes, East Sussex for ages 11–16 (community school). East Sussex has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2017 to 2026 entry.
Chailey School catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Year 7 2026 | 3.86 mi |
| Year 7 2025 | 4.80 mi |
| Year 7 2024 | 3.80 mi |
| Year 7 2023 | 4.79 mi |
| Year 7 2022 | 5.21 mi |
| Year 7 2021 | 4.69 mi |
| Year 7 2020 | 4.00 mi |
| Year 7 2019 | 9.58 mi |
| Year 7 2018 | 6.15 mi |
| Year 7 2017 | Every applicant was offered a place |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- For Year 7 entry in 2026, the last child offered a place lived 3.86 miles away, the 3rd longest of 5 East Sussex secondary schools with a published last distance.
- Across Year 7 entry for 2017 to 2026 the last distance swung sharply between some years; the 2026 figure was nearer the school than in 2025 and than in 2018.
- For Year 7 in 2026, there were 219 first-choice applications for 174 offers; 159 offers went to first-choice families, and 60 first-choice families were not offered a place.
- 2024/25: 52% of pupils got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths, 3rd highest of 9 schools: this one and the 8 nearest secondary schools in East Sussex.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other East Sussex schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Mill Lane, South Chailey, Lewes, BN8 4PU
- Type
- Community school
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–16
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- East Sussex
- Pupils on roll
- 862 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 14.8% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 16.9
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
No Ofsted grade Inspected 10 February 2026
Strengths
- “Pupils are rightly proud to attend Chailey School, where ‘everyone is the best they can be’.”
- “This kind, caring and nurturing school provides a wealth of opportunities for its pupils.”
- “Values of kindness, resilience, independence, creativity, community and participation shape the way staff and pupils behave.”
To improve
- “Staff teach the curriculum effectively, although leaders are taking steps to further strengthen pupils' experiences in lessons, including the way teachers check on pupils' learning and the feedback they give to them.”
- “The gaps between these pupils and their peers are starting to close, but there is still more to do to ensure that these pupils achieve highly.”
- “While pupils who left the school in 2024 achieved more highly than pupils nationally, this is not typical of all groups of pupils each year.”
Safeguarding: met
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 18 May 2026 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE English and maths, grade 5 or above (2024/25) | 52% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 49.3 | 46 |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Year 7 entry: 219 first-preference applications, 174 offers in total, 159 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby secondary schools
Straight-line distance, in East Sussex.
- King's Academy Ringmer 5.1 mi Standards maintained Last distance published
- Priory School 5.2 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Uckfield College 6.1 mi Outstanding Last distance published
- Peacehaven Community School 10.0 mi Good Last distance published
- Seahaven Academy 10.9 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Beacon Academy 11.8 mi Outstanding Last distance published
- Seaford Head School 13.2 mi School remains Outstanding Last distance published
- Heathfield Community College 13.4 mi Good Last distance published