Heathfield Community College

About Heathfield Community College

Heathfield Community College is a large mixed secondary school in Wealden, East Sussex, currently educating 1,437 pupils across the 11-18 age range. The school operates under state funding and has no religious character, with Caroline Barlow serving as headteacher. While the data does not provide the school's official capacity figure, the pupil count alone suggests a substantial institution serving a significant local population. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is not stated in the available data, making it difficult to compare directly with national or local averages, but the school's position within the local authority context offers some insight into its intake. Demand appears moderate based on the available information; the school ranks 15th out of 29 secondary schools of the same type in East Sussex, placing it in the middle of the local hierarchy. This ranking, combined with a Progress 8 score of -0.38, indicates that Heathfield is not among the most oversubscribed schools in the area, though it remains a central option for families in the Wealden region.

Academically, Heathfield Community College's most recent data from the 2023/24 academic year shows a Progress 8 score of -0.38, which is below the local authority average of -0.16 and places the school in the 'Below average' national banding. This means that, on average, pupils achieved nearly two-fifths of a grade less per subject than their peers with similar starting points nationally. The Attainment 8 score stands at 41.9, and 57.8% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths, dropping to 40.3% for grade 5 or above. The English Baccalaureate entry rate is low at 9.5%, with only 6.1% of pupils achieving the EBacc at grade 4 or above. Within the local authority, the school ranks 15th out of 29 schools, and in the Wealden district it sits 4th out of 5, placing it in the bottom half regionally and nationally. The school's strongest Progress 8 component is maths at -0.23, while English is weaker at -0.4, and open subjects show the most significant negative variance at -0.57.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a sports hall, theatre, art studios, sixth form centre, playing fields, music rooms, swimming pool, ICT suite, and a chapel. Sports provision covers basketball, rugby, rounders, martial arts, football, tennis, badminton, swimming, and hockey, while extracurricular clubs include art, coding, Model UN, Young Enterprise, book club, gardening, and eco club. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection rated it as Good, though no further inspection details are available in the data. For families considering Heathfield, the school suits those looking for a large, non-selective state secondary with a wide array of facilities and activities, but who are comfortable with academic outcomes that fall below both local and national averages. The low EBacc entry rate suggests a curriculum that does not strongly emphasise the full English Baccalaureate suite, which may be a consideration for parents prioritising that pathway.

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