Best Private Schools in Sussex: A Level Results Ranked

For parents asking which are the best private schools in Sussex on A level results, Brighton College in Brighton comes first with an average point score of 53.27 per entry, followed by Hurstpierpoint College in Hassocks at 46.70, The Montessori Place in Hove at 45.45 and Roedean School in Brighton at 44.60.

The ranking covers 24 independent schools and uses one measure, the average point score per A level entry from the Department for Education's 16 to 18 performance tables, where an A* counts as 60, an A as 50, a B as 40 and a C as 30. The grade shown beside each figure is the DfE's fine-grade expression of that average, and the student count is the number of A level students behind it.

Which private schools in Sussex have the best A level results?

Across the 24 schools the figures run from 53.27 at Brighton College to 30.71 at Farlington School, and the DfE grade moves from A+ to C along the way. Brighton College is the only school graded A+, whilst Hurstpierpoint College at 46.70 and The Montessori Place at 45.45 are the only two graded A-.

The middle of the table is tightly bunched. Roedean School (44.60), Mayfield School (44.57) and Burgess Hill Girls (44.42) sit at ranks 4 to 6, and the B+ band continues through Ardingly College (43.68), Lancing College (42.66), Eastbourne College (41.86) and Bede's Senior School (41.79) to rank 10. Six schools then share the B- grade between Greenfields School at 37.37 and Our Lady of Sion School at 35.29, so small differences in figure there separate schools that the grade treats alike. At the foot, Seaford College (34.31), Lewes Old Grammar School (32.84) and Kings Brighton (32.19) are graded C+, with Buckswood School (30.98) and Farlington School (30.71) graded C.

Cohort size varies sharply, from 239 students at Brighton College and 166 at Hurstpierpoint College to 9 at Our Lady of Sion School, 8 at The Montessori Place and 6 at Greenfields School. The ranking includes girls' schools and co-educational schools only, since no boys' school appears in it, and girls' schools hold ranks 4, 5, 6 and 15.

Entry points and fees at the ranked Sussex schools

Fees and entry points vary widely across the ranking, so the table below sets them side by side for the schools with an admissions guide on this site; each figure comes from the school's own website and carries the academic year it applies to.

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Which girls' schools rank highest in Sussex for A level results?

Roedean School in Brighton ranks highest among the girls' schools, with an average point score of 44.60 and a B+ grade across 81 students, placing fourth overall. Mayfield School in Mayfield follows at 44.57 with 60 students, and Burgess Hill Girls in Burgess Hill is sixth at 44.42 with 30 students, so the three sit within a fraction of a point of one another.

Brighton Girls is the fourth girls' school in the ranking, at 37.14 with a B- grade and 14 students, in 15th place. It is a day school, whereas Roedean School, Mayfield School and Burgess Hill Girls are all listed as day and boarding.

Which Sussex private schools take boarders?

Most of the ranked schools are listed as day and boarding, including Brighton College, Hurstpierpoint College, Roedean School, Mayfield School, Ardingly College, Lancing College, Eastbourne College, Bede's Senior School and Christ's Hospital in Horsham.

Four schools are listed as day only: Brighton Girls, Michael Hall School in Forest Row, Our Lady of Sion School and Lewes Old Grammar School. Their figures are 37.14, 36.32, 35.29 and 32.84 respectively, which places them between ranks 15 and 21.

How much do small sixth forms affect the figures?

Small cohorts can move an average point score noticeably, because each student's grades carry more weight in the average. The Montessori Place ranks third at 45.45 on 8 students, and Greenfields School ranks 14th at 37.37 on 6, so those figures describe very small groups.

Schools with larger entries give a steadier picture of a typical sixth-form result. Brighton College has 239 students at 53.27, Hurstpierpoint College has 166 at 46.70, Eastbourne College has 138 at 41.86 and Christ's Hospital has 137 at 38.44.

What does the Sussex A level ranking leave out?

The ranking leaves out any Sussex independent school whose sixth form teaches the International Baccalaureate or another qualification and has few or no A level entries, since the DfE measure used here only counts A level results. A school absent from the table may therefore have a sixth form that this measure cannot assess.

The average point score also says nothing about the results of an individual subject or student, about pupils who join the sixth form from elsewhere, or about the range of subjects offered. Parents choosing between schools with close figures, such as Eastbourne College at 41.86 and Bede's Senior School at 41.79, usually learn more from subject-level results and sixth-form entry requirements.

How the schools are ranked

The ranking covers every independent school in East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton and Hove with a published average point score per A level entry in the Department for Education's 16 to 18 performance data, ordered from highest to lowest, with schools on the same figure sharing a rank. The figure counts A level entries only and is not adjusted for pupils' attainment on entry, and many of these schools select by entrance assessment.

The data is the Department for Education's own download from Compare school and college performance, so anyone can reproduce the order from the same file; the data year and source are listed in the key facts above.

Admissions guides for the ranked schools

• Brighton College (ranked 1)
• Hurstpierpoint College (ranked 2)
• Roedean School (ranked 4)
• Burgess Hill Girls (ranked 6)
• Ardingly College (ranked 7)
• Lancing College (ranked 8)
• Eastbourne College (ranked 9)
• Bede's Senior School (ranked 10)
• Christ's Hospital (ranked 13)
• Brighton Girls (ranked 15)
• Worth School (ranked 18)
• Our Lady of Sion School (ranked 19)
• Seaford College (ranked 20)
• Lewes Old Grammar School (ranked 21)
• Farlington School (ranked 24)

Related guides

• Best private schools in the UK and London by A level results
• Independent school fees compared
• What is a bursary? Private school bursaries explained
• 11+ and 13+ scholarship exams explained
• Boarding schools in the UK

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