Best Schools in Lewes

How many schools are there in Lewes?

Lewes has 22 open schools: 14 state primary, 3 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent, 3 special and 1 other.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Lewes are rated Outstanding?

2 schools in Lewes were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Barcombe Church of England Primary School and Chailey Heritage School. Counting Good as well, 100% of the 18 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Barcombe Church of England Primary SchoolChailey Heritage School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Lewes get the best GCSE results?

Of the 3 schools in Lewes with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at King's Academy Ringmer, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.6 and 54% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Chailey School, with an Attainment 8 score of 49.7 and 58% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Priory School, with an Attainment 8 score of 48.7 and 53% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

King's Academy RingmerChailey SchoolPriory School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Lewes have the best SATs results?

Of the 13 primary schools in Lewes with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Hamsey Community Primary School (90% in reading, 80% in maths); Western Road Community Primary School (90% in reading, 77% in maths); and South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School (90% in reading, 73% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Hamsey Community Primary SchoolWestern Road Community Primary SchoolSouth Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Lewes?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Lewes selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Lewes have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Lewes have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, East Sussex allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Lewes?

Apply to East Sussex through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.