Mulberry Academy Hastings, Hastings

Requires Improvement
Secondary
Academy sponsor led
Mixed
Ages 1116

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Simon Addison
Pupils:833 / 900 capacity
LA:East Sussex
Phone:01424711950
Address:Rye Road, Hastings, TN35 5DN
Trust:MULBERRY SCHOOLS TRUST
Admissions:Non-selective
Status:open
Opened:1 September 2011

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 8 months ago
Requires Improvement

Overall

Requires Improvement

Quality of Education

Requires Improvement

Behaviour & Attitudes

Requires Improvement

Personal Development

Requires Improvement

Leadership & Management

Inspected 13 January 2026View full report
URN:136401
UKPRN:10032387
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Hastings and Rye
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Mulberry Academy Hastings excels at creating a caring, inclusive environment where every pupil feels known and valued. Staff are committed to supporting all children, with particular strengths in helping disadvantaged pupils and those with special needs succeed. The school has successfully transformed its culture in recent years, creating calm classrooms where pupils want to attend and can focus on their learning.

Key Strengths

  • Effective systems for tracking and improving pupil attendance, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
  • Strong behaviour management with calm, purposeful lessons and warm relationships between staff and pupils
  • Comprehensive inclusion approach that identifies and supports pupils' needs promptly and matches support well
  • Well-designed pastoral care and personal development programme that helps pupils feel safe and cared for
  • Clear leadership with high expectations and focus on embedding improvements across the curriculum

Areas for Improvement

  • Inconsistent assessment practices across the school mean adaptations for pupils with specific barriers are not always precise
  • Achievement levels remain below national averages, though current pupils are building knowledge more securely
  • Gaps in pupils' knowledge and skills need closing, including inconsistencies in handwriting and presentation
  • Quality of curriculum adaptations to meet individual pupil needs still requires improvement

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - the school has created an open and positive culture of safeguarding where all legal requirements are met and pupils feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Chess, volleyball, book club, school council, peer mentoring, trips, visits

Mulberry Academy Hastings is a school that has made significant improvements in its culture and ethos, with leaders demonstrating strong moral purpose and high ambition for every pupil. The school is providing an increasingly positive learning environment with particular strengths in attendance, behaviour, inclusion, and pastoral support.

At a Glance

47.5%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

SLCN - Speech, language and Communication

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

15 responses
Would recommend80%
Child is happy93%
Well taught73%
Good progress87%
Feels safe87%
Well behaved80%
Bullying dealt with13%
Kept informed73%
Handles concerns40%
Wider development73%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Class Sizes

23.4

Avg class size

33

Total classes

5 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Winchelsea Lane (opp)
58m · 1 min walk
Hillcrest Sports Centre (opp)
147m · 2 min walk
Ivy Gardens (adj)
175m · 3 min walk
Montgomery Road (adj)
260m · 4 min walk
Martineau Lane (adj)
393m · 6 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

93%

Near capacity

833 pupils

900 capacity

67 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Hastings

High pressure
New homes approved:651
Projected new pupils:117

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Hastings

Admissions Demand - East Sussex

Low demand0.90x oversubscription

Places available

5,548

Applications

4,976

Got 1st preference

86.1%

Got preferred school

96.5%

Secondary admissions across East Sussex (2025/26)

Inspection History(7)

13 January 2026
Requires ImprovementReport
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesRequires Improvement
Personal DevelopmentRequires Improvement
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
26 September 2023
Requires ImprovementReport
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesRequires Improvement
Personal DevelopmentRequires Improvement
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
18 March 2020

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

10.23501%

Overall absence

32.88288%

Persistent absence

888

Enrolments

Authorised6.57067%
Unauthorised3.66434%
Persistent (10%+)32.88288%
Severe (50%+)5.74324%

Absence trend

7.27056%
18/19
9.78287%
20/21
15.38854%
21/22
18.46933%
22/23
15.70152%
23/24
10.23501%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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