Oakwood Primary Academy, Eastbourne
Oakwood Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Eastbourne, part of Aurora Academies Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2022. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 11th-highest of the 14 schools in Eastbourne with published results, and 11,625th of 14,452 across England. It was 62% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- 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
Oakwood Primary Academy in detail
Oakwood Primary Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "As you will see, we are very proud of what our school community achieves and hope that this shines through, but if you do have any unanswered questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Oakwood Primary Academy is a thriving primary school, situated in the heart of Willingdon Trees."
The school runs after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils at Oakwood Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 64% 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 (68% in reading, 63% in maths).
Getting a place at Oakwood Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 32 families put Oakwood Primary Academy as their first choice and 52 named it as one of their preferences, for 32 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Oakwood Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Oakwood Primary Academy are Parkland Infant School (0.4 miles, Good); Parkland Junior School (0.4 miles, Good, 79% reading, 76% maths); Heron Park Primary Academy (0.8 miles, Good, 55% reading, 48% maths); and Willingdon Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 77% reading, 75% maths).
Oakwood Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Parkland Infant SchoolParkland Junior SchoolHeron Park Primary AcademyWillingdon Primary School
The trust
Oakwood Primary Academy is one of 7 schools run by Aurora Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 58% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
34.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 40 pupils (13.3%) received SEN support and 7 (2.3%) 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 Hampden Park (Sussex) Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Acacia Road (adjacent), 230 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 168 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, Oakwood Primary Academy issued 52 suspensions, 17.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Oakwood Primary Academy are The Eastbourne Academy (0.2 miles), Ratton School (1 mile), The Turing School (1 mile) and Willingdon Community School (1.3 miles).
The Eastbourne AcademyRatton SchoolThe Turing SchoolWillingdon Community School
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
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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its October 2022 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
34.7%
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 68% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 64% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 68% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.3
Avg class size
22.8
Infant (KS1)
27.8
KS2
10
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Oakwood Primary Academy
Headteacher's Update: 02/10/26
2 Oct 2026
Headteacher's Update: 25/09/26
27 Sep 2026
Headteacher's Update: 26/06/26
26 Jun 2026
Headteacher's Update: 19/06/26
21 Jun 2026
Headteacher's Update: 12/06/26
14 Jun 2026
Headteacher's Update: 05/06/26
6 Jun 2026
From Oakwood Primary Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Oakwood Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Oakwood Primary Academy.
- Wave Leisure At Hampden Park Playscheme310m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Oakwood Primary Academy 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
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Oakwood Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Oakwood Primary Academy 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
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 7 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
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 Oakwood Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Oakwood Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Oakwood Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Oakwood Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Oakwood Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from East Sussex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Oakwood Primary Academy 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
62%
Available places
259 pupils
420 places
161 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(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
40
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
15.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
300
Total Pupils
148
Boys
152
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
15
Teachers
20.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,532
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,827
Per pupil
£1733k
Total funding
£161k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.8%
Overall absence
17.5%
Persistent absence
223
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
Questions parents ask about Oakwood Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Oakwood Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Oakwood Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 68% reached the expected standard in reading and 64% did so in maths.
What is Oakwood Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Oakwood Primary Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2022. At its previous graded inspection in 2020 it was rated Inadequate.
What is the catchment area for Oakwood Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Oakwood Primary Academy 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 Oakwood Primary Academy?
Oakwood Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 62% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Oakwood Primary Academy?
Classes at Oakwood Primary Academy average 25.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Oakwood Primary Academy?
Oakwood Primary Academy has around 300 pupils on roll. 35% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Oakwood Primary Academy?
6.8% of sessions were missed at Oakwood Primary Academy in 2024/25. 17.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Oakwood Primary Academy?
Apply through East Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Oakwood Primary Academy 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 Oakwood Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Oakwood Primary Academy: Wave Leisure At Hampden Park Playscheme (310m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Oakwood Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 7 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 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 Oakwood Primary Academy?
Oakwood Primary Academy is at Magnolia Drive, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN22 0SS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)