Contested schools in East Sussex
These are the East Sussex schools that turned first-choice families away in at least one of the last three years — either because more families named them first than they had places, or because they refused families who named them first anyway. Figures shown are for 2026/27. Demand is not a forecast: an oversubscribed school turns more families away, which is not the same as their appeals succeeding more often.
Appeal success rates for East Sussex
Secondary schools (15)
Each has its own page with a 12-year demand history.
| School | Places | First choices | Per place |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Cavendish School | 118 | 182 | 1.54 |
| St Catherine's College | 211 | 296 | 1.40 |
| Claverham Community College | 226 | 307 | 1.36 |
| St Richard's Catholic College | 196 | 262 | 1.34 |
| Chailey School | 174 | 219 | 1.26 |
| Willingdon Community School | 206 | 248 | 1.20 |
| Uckfield College | 267 | 298 | 1.12 |
| Heathfield Community College | 248 | 271 | 1.09 |
| Seaford Head School | 231 | 245 | 1.06 |
| Gildredge House | 90 | 93 | 1.03 |
| Peacehaven Community School | 176 | 176 | 1 |
| King's Academy Ringmer | 149 | 140 | 0.94 |
| Beacon Academy | 255 | 238 | 0.93 |
| Ratton School | 237 | 217 | 0.92 |
| Ark Alexandra Academy | 223 | 177 | 0.79 |
Primary schools (62)
Primary schools are listed here as figures rather than pages. Most refusals at the Reception intake are infant class size cases, where a panel can only act on three narrow grounds and fewer than one in ten appeals succeeds — so the honest thing to publish is the data, not a page inviting an appeal.
| School | Places | First choices | Per place |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Cavendish School | 60 | 97 | 1.62 |
| All Saints Church of England Primary School, Bexhill | 29 | 46 | 1.59 |
| Ark Little Ridge Primary Academy | 60 | 95 | 1.58 |
| Parkside Community Primary School | 30 | 43 | 1.43 |
| St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School | 60 | 84 | 1.40 |
| Sedlescombe Church of England Primary School | 30 | 41 | 1.37 |
| Harbour Primary and Nursery School | 60 | 81 | 1.35 |
| Harlands Community Primary & Nursery School | 30 | 40 | 1.33 |
| Guestling Bradshaw Church of England Primary School | 30 | 38 | 1.27 |
| St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School | 22 | 28 | 1.27 |
| Wallands Community Primary and Nursery School | 30 | 38 | 1.27 |
| Ashdown Primary School | 60 | 75 | 1.25 |
| Blackboys Church of England Primary School | 20 | 25 | 1.25 |
| Etchingham Church of England Primary School | 15 | 18 | — |
| High Hurstwood Church of England Primary School | 15 | 18 | — |
| Mayfield Church of England Primary School | 20 | 24 | 1.20 |
| Punnetts Town Community Primary and Nursery School | 15 | 18 | — |
| Wivelsfield Primary School and Nursery | 30 | 36 | 1.20 |
| Grovelands Community Primary School | 90 | 105 | 1.17 |
| Meridian Community Primary School and Nursery | 60 | 70 | 1.17 |
| Newick Church of England Primary School | 30 | 35 | 1.17 |
| Catsfield Church of England Primary School | 15 | 17 | — |
| Hamsey Community Primary School | 15 | 17 | — |
| St John's Church of England Primary School | 30 | 34 | 1.13 |
| Stonegate Church of England Primary School | 15 | 17 | — |
| Hailsham Academy | 60 | 67 | 1.12 |
| Little Common School | 90 | 101 | 1.12 |
| Stone Cross School | 60 | 67 | 1.12 |
| Forest Row Church of England Primary School and Nursery | 30 | 33 | 1.10 |
| Hellingly Community Primary School | 30 | 33 | 1.10 |
| St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School | 30 | 33 | 1.10 |
| Thornton Grove Academy | 30 | 33 | 1.10 |
| Battle and Langton Church of England Primary School | 60 | 64 | 1.07 |
| Denton Community Primary School and Nursery | 30 | 32 | 1.07 |
| Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School | 29 | 30 | 1.03 |
| Motcombe Infants' School | 60 | 62 | 1.03 |
| Rotherfield Primary School | 30 | 31 | 1.03 |
| Pevensey and Westham CofE Primary School | 60 | 61 | 1.02 |
| Alfriston School | 13 | 13 | — |
| Barcombe Church of England Primary School | 14 | 14 | — |
| Bodiam Church of England Primary School | 15 | 15 | — |
| Chiddingly Primary School | 14 | 14 | — |
| Netherfield CofE Primary School | 12 | 12 | — |
| St Leonards Church of England Primary Academy | 60 | 60 | 1 |
| Cradle Hill Community Primary School | 75 | 74 | 0.99 |
| Langney Primary Academy | 48 | 47 | 0.98 |
| Parkland Infant School | 53 | 52 | 0.98 |
| St Marys Catholic Primary School | 30 | 29 | 0.97 |
| Rocks Park Primary School | 28 | 27 | 0.96 |
| Polegate Primary School | 88 | 84 | 0.95 |
| South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School | 17 | 16 | — |
| St Thomas A Becket Catholic Primary School | 48 | 45 | 0.94 |
| Willingdon Primary School | 47 | 44 | 0.94 |
| Maynards Green Community Primary School | 30 | 27 | 0.90 |
| Park Mead Primary School | 10 | 9 | — |
| Gildredge House | 58 | 51 | 0.88 |
| Sandown Primary School and Nursery | 60 | 53 | 0.88 |
| Icklesham Church of England Primary School and Nursery | 15 | 13 | — |
| Bonners CofE School | 14 | 12 | — |
| Pashley Down Infant School | 69 | 59 | 0.86 |
| Western Road Community Primary School | 24 | 19 | — |
| Frant Church of England Primary School | 10 | 6 | — |
Department for Education, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, school-level file, 2026/27. Appeal outcomes are not published for individual schools — how we source and calculate the figures.