Cradle Hill Community Primary School, Seaford
Cradle Hill Community Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Seaford. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 52nd-highest of the 132 schools in East Sussex with published results, and 6,288th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to East Sussex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Cradle Hill Community Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 82% of Year 6 pupils at Cradle Hill Community Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 76% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 72% in East Sussex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 76% in reading and 73% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Cradle Hill Community Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 74 families put Cradle Hill Community Primary School as their first choice and 124 named it as one of their preferences, for 75 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 Cradle Hill Community Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Cradle Hill Community Primary School are Seaford Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 82% reading, 80% maths); Chyngton School (0.6 miles, 80% reading, 71% maths); Annecy Catholic Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 79% reading, 83% maths); and Alfriston School (2.6 miles, Good, 92% reading, 77% maths).
Cradle Hill Community Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Seaford Primary SchoolChyngton SchoolAnnecy Catholic Primary SchoolAlfriston School
Who goes there
13.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 71 pupils (10.7%) received SEN support and 11 (1.7%) 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 autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Seaford Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Lexden Road Top (e-bound), 100 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Cradle Hill Community Primary School issued 5 suspensions, 0.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from June 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2014 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
13.8%
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 improved from 76% to 82% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 76% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 79% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.2
Avg class size
29.8
Infant (KS1)
27.5
KS2
23
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Cradle Hill Community Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Cradle Hill Community Primary School.
- SportsCool Brighton @ Cradle HillAt the school · Not yet graded
- SportsCool Brighton SPS920m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Cradle Hill Community 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
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Cradle Hill Community Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Cradle Hill Community 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
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
1 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 Cradle Hill Community Primary School
Will you get a place at Cradle Hill Community Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Cradle Hill Community Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Cradle Hill Community Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Cradle Hill Community 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 Cradle Hill Community 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
99%
Near capacity
625 pupils
630 places
5 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Seaford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Seaford
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(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
71
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
12.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
661
Total Pupils
338
Boys
323
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
32
Teachers
20.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,939
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,114
Per pupil
£3485k
Total funding
£155k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
10.3%
Persistent absence
543
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
Cradle Hill Community Primary School
Questions parents ask about Cradle Hill Community Primary School
What are SATs results like at Cradle Hill Community Primary School?
Of the pupils at Cradle Hill Community Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 82% reached the expected standard in reading and 76% did so in maths.
What is Cradle Hill Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Cradle Hill Community Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Cradle Hill Community Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Cradle Hill Community 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 Cradle Hill Community Primary School?
Cradle Hill Community Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Cradle Hill Community Primary School?
Classes at Cradle Hill Community Primary School average 28.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Cradle Hill Community Primary School?
Cradle Hill Community Primary School has around 661 pupils on roll. 14% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Cradle Hill Community Primary School?
4.9% of sessions were missed at Cradle Hill Community Primary School in 2024/25. 10.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Cradle Hill Community Primary School?
Apply through East Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Cradle Hill Community 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 Cradle Hill Community Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: SportsCool Brighton @ Cradle Hill (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Cradle Hill Community Primary School's term dates?
Cradle Hill Community 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 Cradle Hill Community Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 1 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 Cradle Hill Community Primary School?
Cradle Hill Community Primary School is at Lexden Road, Seaford, East Sussex, BN25 3BA.
Sources: East Sussex term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)