Rye College, Rye
Rye College is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Rye, part of Aquinas Church of England Education Trust Limited. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2023. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 18th-highest of the 24 schools in East Sussex with published results, and 2,542nd of 3,298 across England. It was 83% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Well below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 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
Rye College in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Rye College averaged an Attainment 8 score of 40.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.5 in East Sussex and 47 across England.
33% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in East Sussex and 47% in England.
That is up from 36.8 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.85: pupils made well below 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 32, against 45 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 13 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 18 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Art and Design, Combined Science and Geography.
Getting a place at Rye College
For September 2026 entry, 114 families put Rye College as their first choice and 223 named it as one of their preferences, for 125 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
The trust
Rye College is one of 13 schools run by Aquinas Church of England Education Trust Limited, an academy trust.
All 13 schools in Aquinas Church of England Education Trust Limited
Where pupils go next
Of the 100 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 75% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 51% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 5% into work.
Who goes there
37.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 4.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (87%) and Mixed (6%).
In 2026, 168 pupils (26%) received SEN support and 5 (0.8%) 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 Rye Rail Station, about 310 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Military Road (opposite), 270 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Rye College issued 179 suspensions, 29.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Rye College are Rye Community Primary School (under 0.1 miles) and St Michael's Church of England Primary School (1.2 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Rye Community Primary SchoolSt Michael's Church of England Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
About
Rye College, formerly Thomas Peacocke Community College and Rye Grammar School, is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, located in Rye, East Sussex, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
37.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has declined from -0.55 to -0.85 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 37.5 to 40.6 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 33% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 40.6 | 33.3% |
| Disadvantaged(40) | - | 32.0 | 22.5% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(77) | - | 45.0 | 39% |
| Boys(58) | - | 35.5 | 25.9% |
| Girls(59) | - | 45.5 | 40.7% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(7) | - | 58.9 | 85.7% |
| Non mobile(112) | - | 41.5 | 34.8% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 100 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
2
Permanent exclusions
0.32%
Exclusion rate
179
Suspensions
29.06%
Suspension rate
74 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 616 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Keep up with Rye College
Term dates
Rye College 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
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Rye College from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Rye College 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
- 29
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 8
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 29 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 21 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
7 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 Rye College
Will you get a place at Rye College? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Rye College's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Rye College:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Rye College.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from East Sussex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Rye College for 2019 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
83%
Available places
621 pupils
750 places
129 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Rye
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Rye
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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
168
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
26.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
645
Total Pupils
342
Boys
303
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
36
Teachers
17.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,677
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,481
Per pupil
£5004k
Total funding
£243k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
12.9%
Overall absence
42.5%
Persistent absence
675
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
Questions parents ask about Rye College
What are GCSE results like at Rye College?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Rye College achieved an Attainment 8 score of 40.6. 33% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Rye College's Ofsted rating?
Rye College's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2023, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Rye College?
No fixed boundary. When Rye College 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 Rye College?
Rye College was not full in 2025: it ran at 83% of its 750 places.
How big are the classes at Rye College?
Classes at Rye College average 26.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Rye College?
Rye College has around 645 pupils on roll. 37% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Rye College?
12.9% of sessions were missed at Rye College in 2024/25. 42.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Rye College?
Apply through East Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Rye College 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 Rye College?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 29 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 21 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 7 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 Rye College?
Rye College is at The Grove, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 7NQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)