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DSchool Grade
Schools in Skegness · DfE, Ofsted

Skegness’s state schools trail 88% of towns in England on results

In Skegness, 31% of pupils got grade 5 or better in both English and maths GCSE, below both Lincolnshire’s towns (41%) and towns in England (45%). 7 state-funded schools are located in Skegness’s built-up area. Skegness grades D for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #53 of 61 in Lincolnshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.

State schools
7
5 primary, 2 secondary
Reading, writing & maths
56%
meet the expected standard at 11 · 2023–25
England’s schools: 62%
Attainment 8
39.6
GCSE average across 8 subjects · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47.3
Grade 5+ English & maths
31%
a strong pass in both · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47%

Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.

What stands out · In brief

What stands out about Skegness’s schools

Below England at both ages

Skegness’s secondary results beat 11% of English towns; its primary results beat 24%. 56% of the large town’s 11-year-olds meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England and 57% across Lincolnshire. Every school’s result ↓

One trust runs much of it

7 of Skegness’s 7 state schools belong to 2 academy trusts. Greenwood Academies Trust runs 5 of them, including Skegness: 939 of the 1,561 secondary pupils. Who runs them ↓

A grammar school in town

Skegness Grammar School admits pupils by a test at 11. Their results count in Skegness’s School Grade, as they are state schools many local children attend. After 16 ↓

Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.

School Grade

Skegness grades D for schools

Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.

Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (56% meet the standard)Better than 24% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (39.6 and 31%)Better than 11% of towns in England
Each of Skegness’s 3 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)50%60%70%80%England 62%Lincolnshire 57%Seathorne Primary Academy: 55% · CSkegness Junior Academy: 55% · CBeacon Primary Academy: 64% · B−
England’s average schoolLincolnshire’s average school

The primary figure: 4 primaries in the town, 488 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 2 secondaries in the town, 268 pupils in results. Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.

Map

Where Skegness’s 7 state schools are

Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Skegness’s built-up area.

PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter

Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table. The 2 secondaries are named.

Results and intake

Which schools do better than their intake suggests

Schools with more pupils on free school meals tend to get lower results. The dashed line is the typical school in England for each level of free school meals; the band holds the middle two-thirds. A dot above the band is doing better than schools like it.

Primaries: KS2 reading, writing and maths against free school meals40%50%60%70%80%0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%Pupils on free school meals →typical school in EnglandBeacon Primary Academy: 64% with 34% on free school meals (a typical school with that intake: 59%)Seathorne Primary Academy: 55% with 49% on free school meals (a typical school with that intake: 55%)Skegness Junior Academy: 55% with 69% on free school meals (a typical school with that intake: 49%)Skegness JuniorBeaconSeathorne

The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 31% at Skegness Grammar School to 69% at Skegness Junior Academy. Against schools with the same intake, Skegness Junior Academy does best: 55% with 69% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 49%. 3 of 3 primaries are above the line.

Show as a table
SchoolFree school mealsResultTypical for that intakeDifference
Skegness Junior AcademyKS2 %69%55%49%+6
Beacon Primary AcademyKS2 %34%64%59%+5
Seathorne Primary AcademyKS2 %49%55%55%+0

Free school meals: pupils eligible now, DfE January 2026 census. The typical-school line is a straight-line fit across every graded school in England. It describes; it doesn’t grade: the School Grade uses results alone.

Getting a place

How school places work in Skegness

Lincolnshire County Council handles applications for every state school in Skegness, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.

Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.

When a school is full

Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.

Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work

How full each school is

Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%.

Beacon98%
Skegness Infant incl. nursery92%
The Richmond89%
Skegness Junior88%
Skegness70%
Skegness Grammar69%
Seathorne incl. nursery68%

DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.

The schools

7 state schools in Skegness

Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.

Letters of Skegness’s schoolsA 1B 1C 3D 11 without a letter

Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.

Ofsted

Ofsted report cards

Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.

Report card 1Requires improvement 2Ungraded inspection only 4

Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.

Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 1 of Skegness’s 7 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.

SchoolSafeguardingAchievementCurriculum and teachingInclusionAttendance and behaviourPersonal development and well-beingLeadership and governanceSixth form
Skegness Grammar SchoolMay 2026MetExpected standardExpected standardExpected standardExpected standardStrong standardExpected standardExpected standard
Who runs them

2 academy trusts

Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.

Run bySchoolsPupilsTheir letters
Greenwood Academies TrustSkegness, Skegness Junior, Seathorne, Skegness Infant, Beacon52,008D−CCB−
David Ross Education TrustSkegness Grammar, The Richmond2996AC−
After 16

Where Skegness’s teenagers go at 16

In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.

Every state secondary in Skegness has its own sixth form.

Secondaries with a sixth form
2 of 2
state schools in Skegness
Colleges within 12 miles
0
further-education and sixth-form colleges
Grammar schools in Lincolnshire
15
selective state secondaries
Towns its size

283rd of 305 English towns of 14,000 to 28,000

Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Skegness, and the top and bottom of the group.

#TownSchoolsKS2Attainment 8Grade 5+ E&M
1Amersham BuckinghamshireA+79%64.383%
…
279Coseley West MidlandsD55%41.536%
280Blaby and Whetstone LeicestershireD56%40.834%
281Littlehampton West SussexD56%38.935%
282Felixstowe SuffolkD53%40.340%
283Skegness LincolnshireD56%39.631%
284Bideford DevonD47%42.341%
285Hailsham East SussexD58%35.429%
286Litherland MerseysideD55%40.234%
287Coalville LeicestershireD55%39.430%
…
305March CambridgeshireD−45%36.730%
Neighbours

Skegness and the places around it

Coloured by School Grade.

Ingoldmells: DBurgh le Marsh: C+Wainfleet All Saints: D−Chapel St Leonards: CWainfleet St Mary: D−Alford: BSpilsby: D−IngoldmellsBurgh le MarshWainfleet All SaintsChapel St LeonardsWainfleet St MaryAlfordSpilsbySkegness
TownSchoolsKS2Att. 8
Skegness
7 schools
D56%39.6
Ingoldmells
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3 mi
D56%39.6
Burgh le Marsh
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3.8 mi
C+60%—
Wainfleet All Saints
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4.8 mi
D−48%—
Chapel St Leonards
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 5.4 mi
C57%—
Wainfleet St Mary
0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 5.6 mi
D−48%—
Alford
3 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 10 mi
B63%45.3
Spilsby
4 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 10.2 mi
D−51%38.4

Alford has the best-graded schools nearby (B). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

  • Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
  • Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Skegness: 3% (England’s average school: 8%).
  • Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
  • Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
  • Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
  • Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
  • Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
  • Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.

Questions about schools in Skegness

Are schools in Skegness good?

Skegness’s state schools earn a D against schools across England: primary results beat 24% of towns in England; secondary results beat 11% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Lincolnshire council.

What is the best secondary school in Skegness?

On 2025/26 GCSE results, Skegness Grammar School: Attainment 8 of 54 and 69% with grade 5+ in English and maths, against 47.3 at the average school in England. Results are one measure; distance decides most places.

What is the best primary school in Skegness?

On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Beacon Primary Academy: 64% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.

Do Skegness secondary schools have sixth forms?

Yes, all 2 do.

How do I apply for a school place in Skegness?

Through Lincolnshire County Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).

How many state schools are in Skegness?

7 open state-funded schools are located in Skegness’s built-up area: 5 primary, 2 secondary and 0 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.

Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.