Mulberry Baird Primary, Hastings
Mulberry Baird Primary is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Hastings, part of Mulberry Schools Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 10 schools in Hastings with published results, and 8,749th of 14,452 across England. It was 69% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- 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
Mulberry Baird Primary in detail
Results
In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils at Mulberry Baird Primary reached the expected standard in reading and 73% 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 64% in reading and 53% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Mulberry Baird Primary
For September 2026 entry, 34 families put Mulberry Baird Primary as their first choice and 59 named it as one of their preferences, for 34 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Mulberry Baird Primary
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Mulberry Baird Primary are Ark Castledown Primary Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 80% reading, 82% maths); Ark Blacklands Primary Academy (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 97% reading, 93% maths); Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School (0.5 miles); and Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Hastings (0.5 miles, Good, 72% reading, 53% maths).
Mulberry Baird Primary's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Ark Castledown Primary AcademyArk Blacklands Primary AcademySacred Heart Catholic Primary SchoolSacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Hastings
The trust
Mulberry Baird Primary is one of 14 schools run by Mulberry Schools Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
51.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 74 pupils (26.8%) received SEN support and 20 (7.2%) 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 Ore Rail Station, about 260 metres away (roughly a 3-minute walk).
20 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Sussex Coast College (opposite), 20 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Mulberry Baird Primary stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 647 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, Mulberry Baird Primary issued 27 suspensions, 8.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Mulberry Baird Primary are Ark Alexandra Academy (1 mile), Mulberry Academy Hastings (1.5 miles) and Lansdowne Children's Centre (1.5 miles).
Ark Alexandra AcademyMulberry Academy HastingsLansdowne Children's Centre
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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
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's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
All pupils and their families are assured of a warm welcome at The Baird. Many pupils join the school at different stages of their education and at different times of the year. Each pupil's unique circumstances and needs are considered and responded to. This is a profoundly inclusive school. However, pupils' low attendance means that exciting opportunities to learn are missed too often.
Right from the start in Nursery and Reception, children develop positive relationships with adults and their peers. Pupils understand that staff are there to help them develop skills for life, as well as to learn the academic curriculum. There is a happy atmosphere throughout the school as pupils play and learn together.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Published data for 2023 indicates that pupils in key stage 2 were not well prepared for the next stages of their education. Pupils, notably most-able pupils, made poor progress through the curriculum. Overall, standards achieved were low, particularly in writing. Current pupils are making faster progress and standards are rising.
School and trust leaders have reviewed and strengthened the school's curriculum. Subjects are planned to ensure that pupils' knowledge builds over time, with opportunities to practise new skills and to make links with previous learning. Visits to lessons and pupils' workbooks indicate that in reading, mathematics and science, pupils are learning well. Systems used by teachers and leaders to check how well all pupils are learning and progressing have been strengthened. Teachers adapt learning tasks and use precise questioning to support or extend learning. Pupils receive extra help where required. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) typically progress well through precisely tailored learning programmes. The school's nurture provision enables pupils to acquire essential social and emotional skills.
From Ofsted's June 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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
51.1%
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 64% to 75% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 53% to 73% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 56% to 63% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.5
Avg class size
25.7
Infant (KS1)
25.3
KS2
10
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Mulberry Baird Primary
Before and after school care
Mulberry Baird Primary 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 Mulberry Baird Primary.
- 1066 Kids Club @ Baird310m away · Not yet graded
- Fireflies childcare limited990m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Mulberry Baird Primary is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see East Sussex's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Mulberry Baird Primary from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Mulberry Baird Primary 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
- 35
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 12
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 35 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 12 serious and 22 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
11 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 Mulberry Baird Primary
Will you get a place at Mulberry Baird Primary? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Mulberry Baird Primary's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Mulberry Baird Primary:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Mulberry Baird Primary.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from East Sussex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Mulberry Baird Primary 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
69%
Available places
291 pupils
420 places
129 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Hastings
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Hastings
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(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
74
SEN Support
20
EHC Plans
34.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
276
Total Pupils
137
Boys
139
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
18
Teachers
15.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,081
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,005
Per pupil
£2132k
Total funding
£230k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.8%
Overall absence
24.0%
Persistent absence
279
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
Mulberry Baird Primary
Questions parents ask about Mulberry Baird Primary
What are SATs results like at Mulberry Baird Primary?
Of the pupils at Mulberry Baird Primary who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 75% reached the expected standard in reading and 73% did so in maths.
What is Mulberry Baird Primary's Ofsted rating?
Mulberry Baird Primary was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2019 it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Mulberry Baird Primary?
No fixed boundary. When Mulberry Baird Primary 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 Mulberry Baird Primary?
Mulberry Baird Primary was not full in 2025: it ran at 69% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Mulberry Baird Primary?
Classes at Mulberry Baird Primary average 24.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Mulberry Baird Primary?
Mulberry Baird Primary has around 276 pupils on roll. 51% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Mulberry Baird Primary?
7.8% of sessions were missed at Mulberry Baird Primary in 2024/25. 24% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Mulberry Baird Primary?
Apply through East Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Mulberry Baird Primary 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 Mulberry Baird Primary have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Mulberry Baird Primary 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 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Mulberry Baird Primary: 1066 Kids Club @ Baird (310m away, registered, not yet graded) and Fireflies childcare limited (990m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Mulberry Baird Primary?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 35 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 12 serious and 22 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 11 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 Mulberry Baird Primary?
Mulberry Baird Primary is at Parker Road, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 3TH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)