Ark Alexandra Academy
Academy sponsor led · 1,315 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.6
Community school
Willingdon Community School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,117of 1,053 places
- Free school meals
- 20.1%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 198
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 14 June 2023Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Willingdon Community School has no sixth form. Of the 200 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 22% moved to a sixth form college, 50% to a further education college and 6% started an apprenticeship.
Food Preparation and Nutrition is unusually popular at GCSE: 25% of the year group took it, against 8% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 45.0 against 46.1 across England and 43.1 in East Sussex, with 49% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
As an 11–16 school, Willingdon Community School is judged on where pupils go at 16 rather than on A level results.
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 | Willingdon Community School | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 200 | 5,083 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 89% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 77% | 85% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 1% | 14% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 22% | 24% | 13% |
| — further education college | 50% | 44% | 37% |
| — other education | 4% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 2% | 3% |
| Employment | 6% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 9% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 3% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Willingdon Community School | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 45.0 | 43.1 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 49% | 42% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 71% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 39% | 37% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.98 | 3.80 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 18% | 26% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 28.5 | 30.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 48.7 | 47.6 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 3% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 196 | 99% | 89% | 18% | 20% | 74% |
| Mathematics | 196 | 99% | 88% | 15% | 22% | 76% |
| English Literature | 194 | 98% | 86% | 18% | 21% | 73% |
| Combined Science | 133 | 67% | 65% | 0% | 9% | 55% |
| Geography | 86 | 43% | 41% | 24% | 25% | 63% |
| History | 76 | 38% | 41% | 18% | 26% | 58% |
| Biology | 61 | 31% | 23% | 33% | 45% | 98% |
| Chemistry | 60 | 30% | 23% | 25% | 47% | 95% |
| Physics | 60 | 30% | 23% | 23% | 46% | 97% |
| Design and Technology | 59 | 30% | 11% | 12% | 23% | 59% |
| Spanish | 55 | 28% | 19% | 25% | 27% | 84% |
| Physical Education | 53 | 27% | 11% | 4% | 24% | 43% |
| Business Studies | 51 | 26% | 18% | 10% | 20% | 63% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 50 | 25% | 8% | 32% | 21% | 80% |
| Psychology | 48 | 24% | 3% | 6% | 22% | 48% |
| Latin | 34 | 17% | 1% | 18% | 74% | 35% |
| Computer Science | 25 | 13% | 13% | 28% | 30% | 64% |
| Art and Design | 22 | 11% | 7% | 5% | 24% | 41% |
| French | 20 | 10% | 18% | 20% | 29% | 55% |
| Music | 16 | 8% | 5% | 69% | 33% | 100% |
| Sociology | 16 | 8% | 4% | 25% | 21% | 44% |
| Drama | 10 | 5% | 7% | 10% | 27% | 80% |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Childcare Skills | 27 | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 27 | — | — |
| Personal Health | 18 | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | 14 | — | — |
| Dance: General | 10 | — | — |
| Engineering Studies | 7 | — | — |
| Animal Care (Non-Agricultural) | 2 | — | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 1 | — | — |
| Sports Studies | 1 | — | — |
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.