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The happiest schools in East Sussex have been revealed. The rankings, based on Ofsted's Parent View survey, provide an insight into how parents feel about their children's schools. More than 500,000 parents participate in the survey each year, with one of the key questions asking how happy they believe their child is at school.
Recent analysis by The Sunday Times has ranked secondary schools across England and Wales according to their happiness scores in the Parent View data. The analysis specifically looks at the question: "My child is happy at this school," and determines the total percentage score based on the combined percentage of parents who said 'strongly agree' or 'agree.' The national average for this question is 83 per cent, according to The Sunday Times.
Only secondary schools with at least 500 pupils and 100 parent submissions were included. The top ten happiest schools in East Sussex, according to this analysis, are: 1. St Richard's Catholic College, Bexhill - 97 per cent 2.
Chailey School - 96 per cent 3. Heathfield Community College - 96 per cent 4. Gildredge House, Eastbourne - 91 per cent 5.
Priory School, Lewes - 91 per cent 6. The Cavendish School, Eastbourne - 89 per cent 7. King's Academy, Ringmer - 88 per cent 8.
St Catherine's College, Eastbourne - 87 per cent 9. Claverham Community College - 86 per cent 10. Willingdon Community School - 85 per cent The rest of the results can be seen in this table: The survey's results come at a time when more than half of parents of secondary school pupils worry about the toll that exams are taking on them, with one in four saying their children are suffering from depression, according to Parentkind, a charity representing parents’ voices.
One in ten say their teenage children have self-harmed at least once, based on a survey of 2,200 parents of secondary age children. READ NEXT: All the businesses in Sussex fined for using illegal employees With these concerns in mind, many parents are now looking beyond exam results when considering the success of a school. A recent survey by Parentkind found 96 per cent of parents said the happiness of children at a school should be included in Ofsted inspection report cards.
Jason Elsom, chief executive of Parentkind, said: "While exam results will always matter, parents across the country have made it clear that academic success should not come at the expense of their child’s wellbeing and happiness. "A child who enjoys learning and has a positive relationship with their education is far more likely to thrive in life than one who is left struggling, clutching a handful of certificates but feeling broken.".
