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Data profile

Eastbourne College

Independent co-ed senior school in Eastbourne for ages 13–18, day or boarding. Selective entry, established SEND provision, top-tier fees.

  • Rank #88
  • ISI Standards met
  • Fees £39.9k/yr
  • co-ed
  • both
  • Eastbourne

Outcomes

Where leavers go after sixth form.

Cohort
141

Class of 2025

Oxbridge
3
Russell Group
10
US Ivy
0
Medicine
3

Top destinations

  • Oxford—
  • Cambridge—
  • Durham—
  • LSE—
  • UCL—
  • Warwick—
  • University of Southampton—
  • Queen Mary University of London—

Exam results

A level A*–A and GCSE 9–7, recalibrated for 2026.

A-level A*–A
59%

Recalibrated

GCSE 9–7
50%
Oxbridge rate
2%
Russell Group rate
7%

Entry points & fees

EntryYearPlacesAssessmentDay fee (max)Boarding fee (max)
13+Year 9—Common Entrance · School's own exam · Reference / report£39.9k£57.8k
16+Lower Sixth40School's own exam · Interview£39.9k£57.8k

Houseroom Index

Our composite score, broken down by pillar.

Index score

69

/ 100

National rank #88

Academic54
Destinations76
Future-ready55
Pastoral95
Value-add46
Access & breadth75
External consensus70

Inspections

ISI

Excellent

Inspected 2023-05-18

Read full ISI report →

Editorial verdict

ethos

Head Mr Lawson believes 'good learning soothes and enthuses, and promotes children's happiness, resilience, sophistication and integrity.' He scrapped the rule banning pupils from the pier and beach; new pupils now eat fish and chips on the beach at sunset as an induction activity. A £40 million development for a music recording studio, sports hall and classrooms marked the school's 150th anniversary. He has launched a Blue Skies Bursary Campaign to maintain cultural mix of the pupil body and is implementing a mobile phone-free policy for all pupils below sixth form.

teaching

Class sizes are no more than 15. Pupils are not streamed or pigeonholed when they join in Year 9, allowing flexibility. Saturday morning lessons have been replaced with an enrichment curriculum of study support and co-curricular opportunities. Pupils take between 9 and 14 GCSEs (up to 11 or 12 timetabled; additional GCSEs built around the timetable). Subject choice is wide — Eastbourne is the first school to announce the natural history GCSE, which it helped design. The 2024 cohort achieved a record number of 9s (over 200). Sixth formers take A-levels alongside '4th Stream', a programme including modern languages, first aid, professional finance services, Gold Arts Award, and a Leadership & …

pastoral

Just under half of ~600 pupils board; of 300 boarders, 200 are UK full boarders. Five boarding houses (three for boys, two for girls), all described as homely with TV snug rooms, plenty of bathrooms, and gardens with veg patches and barbecues. Housemistresses/masters, resident tutors and matrons are all on site. Friday is movie night; weekend activities include shopping in Eastbourne, paddleboarding and beach visits. House restaurant outings are common. Weekly boarders may go home after Saturday commitments and return Sunday evening or Monday morning.

Compare with peers

Schools families applying here also consider.

  • 1Lancing CollegeWest Sussex
    Fees £37.8kA*-A 66%Oxbridge 2%Rank #86

    Lancing College matches Eastbourne College with co-ed both boarding/day, 13+ entry phase overlap, similar fees (£37.8k vs £36.7k), and is located nearby in West Sussex (42km), sharing a selective top-tier ethos.

  • 2Hurstpierpoint CollegeMid Sussex
    Fees £28.0kA*-A 65%Oxbridge 3%Rank #79

    Hurstpierpoint College is co-ed both boarding/day with 11–18 entry overlapping Eastbourne's 13+, similar fees (£36.9k), selective entry, and located close in West Sussex (37km).

  • 3Worth SchoolMid Sussex
    Fees £39.1kA*-A 58%Oxbridge 0%Rank #111

    Worth School is co-ed both boarding/day with overlapping senior entry phases, selective entry, and located in West Sussex (46km), making it a geographically and culturally similar option.

  • 4Cranleigh SchoolWaverley
    Fees £46.8kA*-A 60%Oxbridge 3%Rank #89

    Cranleigh School is co-ed both boarding/day with overlapping senior entry phases, selective top-tier fees (£46.8k), and located in Surrey (69km), a reasonable commute within the same selectivity tier.

  • 5Woldingham SchoolTandridge
    Fees £38.4kA*-A 58%Oxbridge 7%Rank #64

    Woldingham School is a selective girls' boarding/day school with overlapping senior entry phases, fees (£35.2k) close to Eastbourne's, and located in Surrey (62km), offering a nearby selective independent option.

How peers are chosen

Matched on sex, boarding, entry phase, location, fee band, tier and outcomes. Scoring: 0.45 outcome similarity, 0.25 structured, 0.10 embedding, 0.20 AI re-rank. Refreshed yearly and when a profile changes.

Open days, bursaries and how to apply: Eastbourne College profile →