St Mary's School and 6th Form College
St Mary's School and 6th Form College is a non-maintained special school in Bexhill on Sea for boys and girls aged 5 to 19. It has 221 pupils and room for 250. About 39 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.
Wrestwood Road, Bexhill on Sea, TN40 2LU01424 730740stmarysbexhill.orgMs Natalie Edwards headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 22 March 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
13 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 7 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 10.1 | 4.9 | 2.3 | 2.1 | – | – | 44.3 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -1.32 | -1.72 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 8% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – | 43% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 8% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – | 66% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 0.90 | 0.48 | 0.14 | 0.21 | – | – | 3.91 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – | 39% | 41% |
Subjects
Results came out for 3 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physical Education | 10 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 56% | – |
| Mathematics | 6 | 0% | 17% | 17% | 53% | – |
| English Language | 6 | 0% | 17% | 17% | 54% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published. As a Inter- / non- denominational school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to East Sussex council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, other needs, physical disability, speech, language and communication, specific learning difficulties.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in East Sussex with autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (106), language and communications needs (55), Moderate learning difficulty (37), Physical disability (9), Severe learning difficulty (5), Specific learning difficulty (3).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 221 | 179 | 140 | 111 | 85 | 76 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 39% | 35% | 32% | 32% | 29% | 26% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 3% | 3% | 4% | 5% | 6% | 5% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 7.9% | 10.4% | 12.2% | 14.9% | 18.6% | 12.5% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 5.8% | 6.9% | 8.2% | 9.5% | 16.3% | 9.8% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.1% | 3.5% | 4.0% | 5.4% | 2.3% | 2.7% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 23.3% | 27.9% | 31.1% | 32.5% | 39.7% | 36.0% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 12 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2016/17 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 100% | 100% | 100% | 86% |
| Education | 100% | 100% | 100% | 86% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 540 m | 208 | No overall grade 2025 | 72 | Compare |
| Bexhill College | Further education | 590 m | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Chantry Community Primary School | Academy | 930 m | 195 | Good 2023 | 5 | Compare |
| St Richard's Catholic College | Academy | 970 m | 1,029 | Good 2021 | – | Compare |
| St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School | Church of England | 0.7 miles | 420 | No overall grade 2025 | 91 | Compare |
| Glyne Gap School | Academy | 0.8 miles | 140 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Pebsham Primary Academy | Academy | 0.8 miles | 190 | No overall grade 2025 | 39 | Compare |
| All Saints Church of England Primary School, Bexhill | Church of England | 0.8 miles | 282 | Not inspected | 16 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is St Mary's School and 6th Form College a good school?
St Mary's School and 6th Form College doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in March 2022.
What is St Mary's School and 6th Form College's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated St Mary's School and 6th Form College good at its last full inspection on 22 March 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.
How good are St Mary's School and 6th Form College's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 8% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 10.1, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does St Mary's School and 6th Form College have?
221 pupils aged 5 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 250 places, so it is 88% full.
What is attendance like at St Mary's School and 6th Form College?
Pupils were in school 92.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 23% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does St Mary's School and 6th Form College have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, other needs, physical disability, speech, language and communication, specific learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does St Mary's School and 6th Form College have a sixth form?
Yes.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Wrestwood Road, Bexhill on Sea, TN40 2LU
- Telephone
- 01424 730740
- Website
- www.stmarysbexhill.org
- Headteacher
- Ms Natalie Edwards
- Type of school
- Non-maintained special school (Non-maintained special school, special schools)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 5-19, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Inter- / non- denominational
- Local authority
- East Sussex
- Ward
- Bexhill Old Town & Worsham
- Constituency
- Bexhill and Battle
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 19 April 2001
- URN
- 133653 · LAESTAB 8457000 · UKPRN 10017687
- Formerly
- St Mary's School
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.