Best Schools in St Leonards-on-Sea

How many schools are there in St Leonards-on-Sea?

St Leonards-on-Sea has 13 open schools: 8 state primary, 2 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent and 2 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in St Leonards-on-Sea are rated Outstanding?

2 schools in St Leonards-on-Sea were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Ark Little Ridge Primary Academy and New Horizons School (Part of the Sabden Multi Academy Trust). Counting Good as well, 100% of the 9 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.

Ark Little Ridge Primary AcademyNew Horizons School (Part of the Sabden Multi Academy Trust)

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in St Leonards-on-Sea get the best GCSE results?

Of the 2 schools in St Leonards-on-Sea with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Saxon Mount School, with an Attainment 8 score of 9.3 and 0% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and New Horizons School (Part of the Sabden Multi Academy Trust), with an Attainment 8 score of 7.1 and 0% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Saxon Mount SchoolNew Horizons School (Part of the Sabden Multi Academy Trust)

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in St Leonards-on-Sea have the best SATs results?

Of the 7 primary schools in St Leonards-on-Sea with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Paul's Church of England Academy (84% in reading, 80% in maths); Ark Little Ridge Primary Academy (84% in reading, 79% in maths); and St Leonards Church of England Primary Academy (73% in reading, 81% 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.

St Paul's Church of England AcademyArk Little Ridge Primary AcademySt Leonards Church of England Primary Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in St Leonards-on-Sea?

No. None of the state secondary schools in St Leonards-on-Sea selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in St Leonards-on-Sea have catchment areas?

Most state schools in St Leonards-on-Sea 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 St Leonards-on-Sea?

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.