Sackville School, East Grinstead
Sackville School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18 in East Grinstead. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 18th-highest of the 40 schools in West Sussex with published results, and 1,431st of 3,298 across England. It was 92% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to West Sussex (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Sackville School in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Sackville School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 47.2, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.2 in West Sussex and 47 across England.
45% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 47% in West Sussex and 47% in England.
That is up from 46.1 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.04: pupils made about 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 37.3, against 48.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 11.1 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 30 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Geography.
Getting a place at Sackville School
For September 2026 entry, 216 families put Sackville School as their first choice and 488 named it as one of their preferences, for 236 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Where pupils go next
Of the 269 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 34% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Of the 163 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 44% went on to university or other higher education, 3% to apprenticeships and 39% into work. 17% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Who goes there
12.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 7.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (81%) and Mixed (6%).
In 2026, 360 pupils (23.6%) received SEN support and 56 (3.7%) 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 a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is East Grinstead Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Estcots School (outside), 40 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Sackville School issued 129 suspensions, 8.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Sackville School are Estcots Primary School (under 0.1 miles); The Meads Primary School (0.8 miles); Blackwell Primary School (0.8 miles); and St Mary's Church of England Primary School, East Grinstead (1.1 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Estcots Primary SchoolThe Meads Primary SchoolBlackwell Primary SchoolSt Mary's Church of England Primary School, East Grinstead
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from March 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2015 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
About
Sackville School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in East Grinstead, England. In 2020, the number of students was approximately 1670.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
12.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has declined from 0.20 to -0.04 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 46.9 to 47.2 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 45% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 47.2 | 45% |
| Disadvantaged(29) | - | 37.3 | 27.6% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(229) | - | 48.4 | 47.2% |
| Boys(123) | - | 44.7 | 42.3% |
| Girls(135) | - | 49.4 | 47.4% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(24) | - | 53.0 | 54.2% |
| Non mobile(252) | - | 47.3 | 45.2% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 10 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 269 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
129
Suspensions
8.07%
Suspension rate
63 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,599 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 1 nearby secondary school
Keep up with Sackville School
Term dates
Sackville School is a community school, so its term dates are set by West Sussex. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Sackville School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Sackville School is in West Sussex; for families living there:
Apply to West 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
- 10
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 5 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
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 West Sussex is 11 (the median across 337 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 Sackville School
Will you get a place at Sackville School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Sackville School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Sackville School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Sackville School.
- West Sussex publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Sackville School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Sackville School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in West 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
92%
Near capacity
1,574 pupils
1,717 places
143 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - East Grinstead
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for East Grinstead
Across West Sussex council
Places available
9,806
Applications
8,765
Got 1st preference
87.5%
Got preferred school
97.6%
All secondary applications across West Sussex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
360
SEN Support
56
EHC Plans
27.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,525
Total Pupils
784
Boys
741
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
99
Teachers
15.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,362
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,764
Per pupil
£9460k
Total funding
£189k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.9%
Overall absence
28.0%
Persistent absence
1,380
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 Sackville School
What are GCSE results like at Sackville School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Sackville School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 47.2. 45% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Sackville School's Ofsted rating?
Sackville School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Sackville School?
No fixed boundary. When Sackville School is oversubscribed, West Sussex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Sackville School?
Sackville School was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 1717 places.
How big are the classes at Sackville School?
Classes at Sackville School average 20.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Sackville School?
Sackville School has around 1525 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Sackville School?
9.9% of sessions were missed at Sackville School in 2024/25. 28% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Sackville School?
Apply through West Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Sackville School 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.
What are Sackville School's term dates?
Sackville School is a community school, so its term dates are set by West Sussex. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027).
How many road collisions happen near Sackville School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 5 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 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 West Sussex is 11 (the median across 337 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Sackville School?
Sackville School is at Lewes Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 3TY.
Sources: West Sussex term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)