Motcombe Infants' School, Eastbourne
Motcombe Infants' School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 7 in Eastbourne. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2012. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2023 did not change this grade. It was 64% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2012)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below England average
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
Motcombe Infants' School in detail
Motcombe Infants' School in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am and after-school care until 6:00pm, from £5.00 per session.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Motcombe Infants' School
For September 2026 entry, 62 families put Motcombe Infants' School as their first choice and 199 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 11 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Motcombe Infants' School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Motcombe Infants' School are Pashley Down Infant School (0.4 miles, Good); Ocklynge Junior School (0.6 miles, Requires improvement, 68% reading, 61% maths); St Thomas A Becket Catholic Primary School (0.8 miles); and Stafford Junior School (1.2 miles, Good, 78% reading, 75% maths).
Pashley Down Infant SchoolOcklynge Junior SchoolSt Thomas A Becket Catholic Primary SchoolStafford Junior School
Who goes there
In 2026, 29 pupils (13.2%) received SEN support and 1 (0.5%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Eastbourne Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Cavendish School (opposite), 230 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Motcombe Infants' School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 188 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour 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
Motcombe Infants' School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Motcombe Infants' School are The Cavendish School (0.2 miles), Gildredge House (0.7 miles), Ratton School (0.9 miles) and The Eastbourne Academy (1.7 miles).
The Cavendish SchoolGildredge HouseRatton SchoolThe Eastbourne Academy
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from July 2012, 14 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 July 2012 inspection - down from Outstanding.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
21.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
24.0
Avg class size
24.0
Infant (KS1)
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Motcombe Infants' School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Motcombe Infants' School.
- Fireflies childcare260m away · Not yet graded
- Active Education Sussex Holiday Camp - Eastbourne950m away · Not yet graded
- Stagecoach Eastbourne950m away · Not yet graded
- Premier Education - Ocklynge Junior School950m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Motcombe Infants' 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 Motcombe Infants' School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Motcombe Infants' 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
- 31
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 8
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 31 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 8 serious and 22 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot.
9 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 Motcombe Infants' School
Will you get a place at Motcombe Infants' School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Motcombe Infants' School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Motcombe Infants' School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Motcombe Infants' 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 Motcombe Infants' 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
64%
Available places
232 pupils
360 places
128 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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
29
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
13.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
219
Total Pupils
118
Boys
101
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
15.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,677
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,444
Per pupil
£1378k
Total funding
£61k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.3%
Overall absence
18.4%
Persistent absence
174
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
Motcombe Infants' School
Questions parents ask about Motcombe Infants' School
What is Motcombe Infants' School's Ofsted rating?
Motcombe Infants' School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2012, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Motcombe Infants' School?
No fixed boundary. When Motcombe Infants' 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 Motcombe Infants' School?
Motcombe Infants' School was not full in 2025: it ran at 64% of its 360 places.
How big are the classes at Motcombe Infants' School?
Classes at Motcombe Infants' School average 24 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Motcombe Infants' School?
Motcombe Infants' School has around 219 pupils on roll. 21% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Motcombe Infants' School?
6.3% of sessions were missed at Motcombe Infants' School in 2024/25. 18.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Motcombe Infants' School?
Apply through East Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Motcombe Infants' 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 Motcombe Infants' School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 4 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Motcombe Infants' School: Fireflies childcare (260m away, registered, not yet graded), Active Education Sussex Holiday Camp - Eastbourne (950m away, registered, not yet graded) and Stagecoach Eastbourne (950m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Motcombe Infants' School's term dates?
Motcombe Infants' 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 Motcombe Infants' School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 31 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 8 serious and 22 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot. 9 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 Motcombe Infants' School?
Motcombe Infants' School is at Macmillan Drive, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 1SN.
Sources: East Sussex term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)