King's Academy Ringmer, Lewes
King's Academy Ringmer is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Lewes, part of King's Group Academies. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the highest of the 24 schools in East Sussex with published results, and 901st of 3,298 across England. It was 58% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Above average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to East Sussex (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
King's Academy Ringmer in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at King's Academy Ringmer averaged an Attainment 8 score of 50.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.5 in East Sussex and 47 across England.
54% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in East Sussex and 47% in England.
That is up from 47.6 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.3: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 34.8, against 54 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 19.2 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and Spanish.
Getting a place at King's Academy Ringmer
For September 2026 entry, 140 families put King's Academy Ringmer as their first choice and 476 named it as one of their preferences, for 149 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 19 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at King's Academy Ringmer
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to King's Academy Ringmer are Priory School (2.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.7); and Chailey School (5.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.7).
King's Academy Ringmer's 2026 results were higher than all 2 of them.
The trust
King's Academy Ringmer is one of 15 schools run by King's Group Academies, an academy trust.
What parents say
163 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about King's Academy Ringmer (as of September 2025): 88% would recommend the school, 88% say their child is happy there and 77% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (90%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (77%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 92 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 91% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 69% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Who goes there
2.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 144 pupils (21.9%) received SEN support and 14 (2.1%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Glynde Rail Station, about 2.5 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is King's Academy Grounds (in), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 13 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, criminal damage and arson and violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in East Sussex (65).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, King's Academy Ringmer issued 210 suspensions, 32.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from May 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
King's Academy Ringmer creates a very happy and safe environment where pupils are known well by staff and expected to work hard. The school excels at supporting all learners, particularly those who struggled at primary school, and offers an exceptional range of activities to broaden horizons and develop world-ready citizens. Behaviour and attendance have improved significantly through high expectations applied fairly and consistently.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading across all subjects with excellent support for pupils who need extra help
- Ambitious curriculum that builds both character and academic knowledge, with particular success for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with SEND
- Excellent behaviour and attendance following a reinvigorated behaviour policy - learning is rarely disrupted
- Exceptional extra-curricular programme including clubs, international visits, mock elections, and community events
- Staff know pupils well and relationships are strong with a culture of courtesy and respect
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers occasionally do not check pupils' understanding well enough, meaning some pupils gain less detailed knowledge - the school should ensure consistent use of formative assessment strategies across all lessons
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with staff creating an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Mock elections, international visits, eco-clubs, school performances, community events, enrichment clubs for key stage 3 pupils
King's Academy Ringmer has maintained its good standards following the previous inspection. This is a happy, safe school that goes above and beyond to prepare pupils for their next steps with well-designed enrichment activities and high academic expectations.
At a Glance
22.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
163 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around 0.30 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 47.3 to 50.6 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 41% to 54% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 50.6 | 54.2% |
| Disadvantaged(19) | - | 34.8 | 15.8% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(88) | - | 54.0 | 62.5% |
| Boys(65) | - | 48.6 | 49.2% |
| Girls(42) | - | 53.6 | 61.9% |
Show more breakdowns (1)
| Non mobile(105) | - | 51.1 | 55.2% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 1 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 92 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
4
Permanent exclusions
0.62%
Exclusion rate
210
Suspensions
32.71%
Suspension rate
63 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 642 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 3 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with King's Academy Ringmer
Term dates
King's Academy Ringmer is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see East Sussex's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to King's Academy Ringmer from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. King's Academy Ringmer is in East Sussex; for families living there:
Apply to East Sussex for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 3 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in East Sussex is 8 (the median across 221 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at King's Academy Ringmer
Will you get a place at King's Academy Ringmer? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against King's Academy Ringmer's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for King's Academy Ringmer:
- The straight-line distance from your home to King's Academy Ringmer.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from East Sussex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at King's Academy Ringmer for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in East Sussex got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
58%
Available places
630 pupils
1,080 places
450 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Lewes
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Lewes
Across East Sussex council
Places available
5,496
Applications
4,990
Got 1st preference
86.3%
Got preferred school
95.9%
All secondary applications across East Sussex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
144
SEN Support
14
EHC Plans
24.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
659
Total Pupils
362
Boys
297
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
41
Teachers
16.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,452
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,923
Per pupil
£4799k
Total funding
£155k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
10.0%
Overall absence
27.6%
Persistent absence
673
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
King's Academy Ringmer
Questions parents ask about King's Academy Ringmer
What are GCSE results like at King's Academy Ringmer?
In the 2026 results, pupils at King's Academy Ringmer achieved an Attainment 8 score of 50.6. 54% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is King's Academy Ringmer's Ofsted rating?
King's Academy Ringmer's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for King's Academy Ringmer?
No fixed boundary. When King's Academy Ringmer is oversubscribed, East Sussex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at King's Academy Ringmer?
King's Academy Ringmer was not full in 2025: it ran at 58% of its 1080 places.
How big are the classes at King's Academy Ringmer?
Classes at King's Academy Ringmer average 24.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to King's Academy Ringmer?
King's Academy Ringmer has around 659 pupils on roll. 23% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at King's Academy Ringmer?
10% of sessions were missed at King's Academy Ringmer in 2024/25. 27.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to King's Academy Ringmer?
Apply through East Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming King's Academy Ringmer on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near King's Academy Ringmer?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 3 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in East Sussex is 8 (the median across 221 schools, same distance and years).
Where is King's Academy Ringmer?
King's Academy Ringmer is at Lewes Road, Ringmer, Lewes, East Sussex, BN8 5RB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)