Bourne Primary School, Eastbourne
Bourne Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Eastbourne. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 13th-highest of the 14 schools in Eastbourne with published results, and 13,586th of 14,452 across England. It was 94% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to East Sussex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Bourne Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils at Bourne Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 55% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 72% in East Sussex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (58% in reading, 49% in maths).
Getting a place at Bourne Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 33 families put Bourne Primary School as their first choice and 54 named it as one of their preferences, for 37 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Bourne Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Bourne Primary School are Roselands Infants' School (0.5 miles, Good); St Thomas A Becket Catholic Primary School (0.7 miles); Stafford Junior School (0.7 miles, Good, 78% reading, 75% maths); and St Andrew's Church of England Infants School (0.9 miles).
Roselands Infants' SchoolSt Thomas A Becket Catholic Primary SchoolStafford Junior SchoolSt Andrew's Church of England Infants School
Who goes there
35.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 62.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (26%), Asian (20%) and Black (13%).
In 2026, 88 pupils (21.3%) received SEN support and 10 (2.4%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Bourne Primary School had 25 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Eastbourne Rail Station, about 820 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bourne Street (before), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 774 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in East Sussex (65), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Bourne Primary School issued 33 suspensions, 7.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Bourne Primary School are Gildredge House (1 mile) and The Cavendish School (1.5 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its June 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
35.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 55% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 49% to 55% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 63% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.4
Avg class size
26.8
Infant (KS1)
28.6
KS2
14
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Bourne Primary School
Before and after school care
Bourne Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in East Sussex
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Bourne Primary School.
- SportsCool Brighton BPSAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Bourne Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by East Sussex. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Bourne Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Bourne Primary School is in East Sussex; for families living there:
Apply to East Sussex for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 115
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 34
- Children hurt
- 10
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 115 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 34 serious and 80 slight.
10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise.
22 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in East Sussex is 8 (the median across 221 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Bourne Primary School
Will you get a place at Bourne Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Bourne Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Bourne Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Bourne Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from East Sussex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Bourne Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in East Sussex got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
94%
Near capacity
395 pupils
420 places
25 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Eastbourne
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Eastbourne
Across East Sussex council
Places available
5,501
Applications
4,559
Got 1st preference
91.1%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All primary applications across East Sussex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(13)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
88
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
23.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
414
Total Pupils
208
Boys
206
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
25
Teachers
16.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,811
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,812
Per pupil
£2572k
Total funding
£180k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.6%
Overall absence
27.4%
Persistent absence
402
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Bourne Primary School
Questions parents ask about Bourne Primary School
What are SATs results like at Bourne Primary School?
Of the pupils at Bourne Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 55% reached the expected standard in reading and 55% did so in maths.
What is Bourne Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Bourne Primary School was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024.
What is the catchment area for Bourne Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Bourne Primary School is oversubscribed, East Sussex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Bourne Primary School?
Bourne Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 94% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Bourne Primary School?
Classes at Bourne Primary School average 26.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Bourne Primary School?
Bourne Primary School has around 414 pupils on roll. 36% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Bourne Primary School?
7.6% of sessions were missed at Bourne Primary School in 2024/25. 27.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Bourne Primary School?
Apply through East Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Bourne Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Bourne Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Bourne Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: SportsCool Brighton BPS (registered, not yet graded).
What are Bourne Primary School's term dates?
Bourne Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by East Sussex. In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Bourne Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 115 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 34 serious and 80 slight. 10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise. 22 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in East Sussex is 8 (the median across 221 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Bourne Primary School?
Bourne Primary School is at Melbourne Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN22 8BD.
Sources: East Sussex term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)