Rye College
The Grove, Rye, TN31 7NQ
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- AQUINAS CHURCH OF ENGLAND EDUCATION TRUST LIMITED
- Headteacher
- Mr Dominic Downes
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Aquinas Church of England Education Trust Limited
- Constituency
- Hastings and Rye
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 750
- Pupils on roll
- 645
- URN
- 146825
- Local authority
- East Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01797222545
About this school
Rye College is a secondary academy in Rye. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 645 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Rye College, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 116 | 100 | 103 |
| Attainment 8 score | 37.5 | 36.3 | 36.8 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.55 -0.81 to -0.29 | -0.85 -1.13 to -0.56 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 34% | 29% | 35% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 58% | 48% | 52.4% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 13% | 13% | 21.4% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.1 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Rye College has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | East Sussex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 37.5 | 36.7 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 36.3 | 35 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 36.8 | 33.1 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 13.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 13.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 12.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 569 |
| 2023/24 | 579 |
| 2024/25 | 616 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Rye College compares
Rye College ranked 21st of 22 secondary schools in East Sussex for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 30% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 3% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 36.8 | 12.9% | 36.4% | 645 | — |
| Mulberry Academy Hastings | 38.2 | 10.2% | 45.8% | 833 | 7.2 miles |
| Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre | 39.7 | 11.4% | 31.5% | 1,772 | 8.6 miles |
| Ark Alexandra Academy | 42.6 | 9% | 33.8% | 1,315 | 8.9 miles |
| The Marsh Academy | 37.7 | 9.8% | 40.2% | 1,019 | 9.7 miles |
| Mulberry Academy St Leonards | — | — | — | — | 11.0 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 36.36%
- English as an additional language
- 4.2%
- Overall absence
- 12.9%
- Persistent absence
- 42.52%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Mulberry Academy Hastings7.2 miles
Secondary · Hastings
-
Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre8.6 miles
Secondary · Tenterden
-
Ark Alexandra Academy8.9 miles
Secondary · Hastings
-
The Marsh Academy9.7 miles
Secondary · New Romney
-
Mulberry Academy St Leonards11.0 miles
Secondary · St Leonards-on-Sea
Other schools in Rye
- Beckley Church of England Primary School Primary
- Brede Primary School Primary
- Northiam Church of England Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Peasmarsh Church of England Primary School Primary
- Rye Community Primary School Primary
- Frewen College Special schools
- Little Gate College Other types
Common questions
- What ages does Rye College teach?
- Rye College teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Rye.
- Who is the headteacher of Rye College?
- The headteacher of Rye College is Mr Dominic Downes, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Rye College been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Rye College, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Rye College?
- Rye College has 645 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Rye College full?
- Rye College has capacity for 750 pupils and 645 on roll (86%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Rye College a faith school?
- No. Rye College has no designated religious character.
- Is Rye College a selective school?
- No. Rye College is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Rye College part of an academy trust?
- Rye College is part of AQUINAS CHURCH OF ENGLAND EDUCATION TRUST LIMITED. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Rye College's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 37.5 in 2022/23 and 36.8 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Rye College compare with other schools in East Sussex?
- Rye College ranked 21st of 22 secondary schools in East Sussex for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 30% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 3% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Rye College's absence rate?
- Rye College's overall absence rate is 12.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Rye College's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Rye College's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 10 July 2026.