The Burgess Hill Academy, Burgess Hill

In its own words: "Here at The Burgess Hill Academy, our motto is ‘Believe in Your Best’, encouraging our students to dream big, work hard, never give up and strive for excellence in everything that they do."

From the headteacher's welcome: "At The Burgess Hill Academy, we believe that school should give every student the knowledge, experiences and opportunities they need to thrive. We want our students to leave us as confident, capable young people with excellent outcomes and a wide range of choices open to them for the future."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include rugby, cricket, athletics, badminton, guitar and photography.

In 2026, pupils at The Burgess Hill Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.2 in West Sussex and 47 across England.

47% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 47% in West Sussex and 47% in England.

That is up from 44.6 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.46: pupils made 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 27.5, against 48.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 21.4 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 27 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Art and Design and History.

For September 2026 entry, 102 families put The Burgess Hill Academy as their first choice and 279 named it as one of their preferences, for 239 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 nearest other state secondary schools to The Burgess Hill Academy are St Paul's Catholic College (1.4 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 57.8); Downlands Community School (2.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 58.3); Warden Park Secondary Academy (3.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 55); and Oathall Community College (4.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 51.3).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than The Burgess Hill Academy.

The Burgess Hill Academy is one of 7 schools run by Sussex Learning Trust, an academy trust.

158 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Burgess Hill Academy (as of September 2025): 56% would recommend the school, 68% say their child is happy there and 46% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (75%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (46%).

Of the 232 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 57% to a further education college, 5% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

16% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 8.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (80%), Asian (6%) and Mixed (5%).

In 2026, 118 pupils (12.3%) received SEN support and 21 (2.2%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.

The nearest railway station is Burgess Hill Rail Station, about 390 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).

5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Queens Crescent (sw-bound), 270 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 156 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in West Sussex (103), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, The Burgess Hill Academy issued 308 suspensions, 30.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The Burgess Hill Academy are London Meed Community Primary School (0.2 miles); St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles); Birchwood Grove Community Primary School, Burgess Hill (0.6 miles); and The Gattons Infant School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.