Ark Alexandra Academy
Academy sponsor led · 1,315 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.6
Community school
Heathfield Community College
- Pupils on roll
- 1,416of 1,500 places
- Free school meals
- 16.3%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 232
- Ofsted
- Good, 23 May 2023Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 239 pupils who finished Year 11 at Heathfield Community College in 2023, 49% stayed on in Heathfield Community College’s own sixth form (East Sussex average 14%), 28% went to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Photography is unusually popular at GCSE: 30% of the year group took it, against 6% of pupils across England.
Among the 154 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 36% went to university (East Sussex 21%, England 37%), and 24% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 50.6 against 46.1 across England and 43.1 in East Sussex, with 54% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in East Sussex and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Heathfield Community College | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 239 | 5,083 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 92% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 87% | 85% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 49% | 14% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 8% | 24% | 13% |
| — further education college | 28% | 44% | 37% |
| — other education | 2% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 2% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Heathfield Community College | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 154 | 4,247 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 88% | 74% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 36% | 21% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 24% | 9% | 19% |
| Further education | 8% | 8% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 6% | 7% |
| Employment | 38% | 37% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 8% | 19% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Heathfield Community College | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 50.6 | 43.1 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 54% | 42% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 73% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 52% | 37% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.49 | 3.80 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 18% | 26% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 47.0 | 30.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 51.3 | 47.6 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 1% | 7% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 232 | 100% | 88% | 22% | 22% | 79% |
| English Language | 232 | 100% | 89% | 22% | 20% | 77% |
| English Literature | 227 | 98% | 86% | 29% | 21% | 80% |
| Combined Science | 184 | 79% | 65% | 7% | 9% | 59% |
| History | 131 | 56% | 41% | 25% | 26% | 63% |
| Geography | 107 | 46% | 41% | 30% | 25% | 77% |
| Art and Design | 72 | 31% | 7% | 24% | 24% | 85% |
| Design and Technology | 71 | 31% | 11% | 15% | 23% | 72% |
| Photography | 70 | 30% | 6% | 46% | 19% | 86% |
| Physical Education | 67 | 29% | 11% | 27% | 24% | 64% |
| Spanish | 61 | 26% | 19% | 15% | 27% | 54% |
| French | 54 | 23% | 18% | 26% | 29% | 78% |
| Physics | 45 | 19% | 23% | 49% | 46% | 98% |
| Biology | 45 | 19% | 23% | 44% | 45% | 98% |
| Sociology | 44 | 19% | 4% | 34% | 21% | 68% |
| Chemistry | 44 | 19% | 23% | 45% | 47% | 100% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 39 | 17% | 8% | 31% | 21% | 79% |
| Computer Science | 28 | 12% | 13% | 29% | 30% | 86% |
| Business Studies | 26 | 11% | 18% | 27% | 20% | 69% |
| Drama | 26 | 11% | 7% | 38% | 27% | 96% |
| Latin | 14 | 6% | 1% | 29% | 74% | 64% |
| Music | 10 | 4% | 5% | 40% | 33% | 100% |
| Polish | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Turkish | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multimedia | 38 | 27% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 1 | 1% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Heathfield Community College | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 262 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 142 | 1,578 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 38.83 | 32.68 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B- | C | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 15% | 10% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 45 | 32% | 23% |
| Mathematics | 41 | 29% | 31% |
| Biology | 33 | 23% | 20% |
| Photography | 30 | 21% | 3% |
| History | 30 | 21% | 13% |
| Sociology | 29 | 20% | 13% |
| Geography | 27 | 19% | 10% |
| English Literature | 21 | 15% | 11% |
| Art and Design | 18 | 13% | 1% |
| Physical Education | 16 | 11% | 3% |
| English Language | 14 | 10% | 4% |
| Computer Science | 12 | 8% | 5% |
| Business Studies | 11 | 8% | 13% |
| Further Mathematics | 11 | 8% | 5% |
| Economics | 10 | 7% | 13% |
| Product Design | 9 | 6% | 2% |
| Chemistry | 7 | 5% | 17% |
| Politics | 7 | 5% | 6% |
| Drama | 6 | 4% | 2% |
| Physics | 6 | 4% | 12% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 53 | 37% | — |
| Multimedia | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 16 | 11% | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 6 | 4% | — |
Other secondary schools in East Sussex
Beacon Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,642 pupils
88% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.2
Bexhill High Academy
Academy converter · 1,441 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.7
Chailey School
Community school · 862 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.3
Claverham Community College
Community school · 1,147 pupils
92% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.3
Gildredge House
Free schools · 1,169 pupils
90% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.7
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.