The Ropemakers' Academy
Reef Way, Hailsham, BN27 1FB
- Phase
- Free Schools
- School type
- Free schools special
- Ages
- 4 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE BECKMEAD TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Simon Hawthorne
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- Sussex Weald
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 80
- Pupils on roll
- 115
- URN
- 148035
- Local authority
- East Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01323368374
About this school
The Ropemakers' Academy is a special academy in Hailsham. It teaches children aged 4 to 16 and has 115 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Ropemakers' Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 8 | 5 | 8 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | - | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | - | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | - | 0% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | - | 0% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | - | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | - | - |
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 5 | 9 | 21 |
| Attainment 8 score | - | 2.8 | 0.9 |
| Progress 8 score | - | -2.10 -3.15 to -1.05 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | - | 0% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | - | 0% | 0% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | - | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | - | 0.2 | 0.1 |
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 The Ropemakers' Academy 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 | 0% | 54.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | — | 56.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 57.6% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | East Sussex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 36.7 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 2.8 | 35 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 0.9 | 33.1 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 28% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 26.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 34.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 62 |
| 2023/24 | 78 |
| 2024/25 | 111 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 67.57%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 34.4%
- Persistent absence
- 63.56%
Location
Nearby schools
-
East Sussex Academy1.0 miles
Academies · Hailsham
-
Bede's Senior School2.5 miles
Independent schools · Hailsham
-
Hazel Court School4.0 miles
Academies · Eastbourne
-
The Lindfield School4.5 miles
Academies · Eastbourne
-
St Mary's School5.2 miles
Academies · Heathfield
Other schools in Hailsham
- East Sussex Academy Academies
- Grovelands Community Primary School Primary
- Hawkes Farm Academy Primary
- Hellingly Community Primary School Primary
- Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School Primary
- Park Mead Primary School Primary
- Thornton Grove Academy Primary
- White House Academy Primary
- Hailsham Academy All-through
- Bede's Senior School Independent schools
Common questions
- What ages does The Ropemakers' Academy teach?
- The Ropemakers' Academy teaches children aged 4 to 16. It is a special school in Hailsham.
- Who is the headteacher of The Ropemakers' Academy?
- The headteacher of The Ropemakers' Academy is Mr Simon Hawthorne, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Ropemakers' Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Ropemakers' Academy, 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 The Ropemakers' Academy?
- The Ropemakers' Academy has 115 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 16.
- Is The Ropemakers' Academy full?
- The Ropemakers' Academy has capacity for 80 pupils and 115 on roll (144%), so it is at or above 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 The Ropemakers' Academy a faith school?
- No. The Ropemakers' Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is The Ropemakers' Academy a selective school?
- No. The Ropemakers' Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is The Ropemakers' Academy part of an academy trust?
- The Ropemakers' Academy is part of THE BECKMEAD TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Ropemakers' Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is The Ropemakers' Academy's absence rate?
- The Ropemakers' Academy's overall absence rate is 34.4% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Ropemakers' Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Ropemakers' Academy'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.