Peacehaven Heights Academy, Peacehaven
Peacehaven Heights Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Peacehaven, part of Step Academy Trust. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 50th-highest of the 132 schools in East Sussex with published results, and 6,110th of 14,452 across England. It was 85% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- 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 26 Oct 2026
Peacehaven Heights Academy in detail
Peacehaven Heights Academy in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils at Peacehaven Heights Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 79% 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 65% in reading and 76% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Peacehaven Heights Academy
For September 2026 entry, 49 families put Peacehaven Heights Academy as their first choice and 106 named it as one of their preferences, for 58 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 Peacehaven Heights Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Peacehaven Heights Academy are Telscombe Cliffs Academy (0.4 miles, 69% reading, 70% maths); Meridian Community Primary School and Nursery (0.6 miles, Good, 62% reading, 52% maths); Breakwater Academy (1.7 miles, Good, 81% reading, 81% maths); and Saltdean Primary School (1.8 miles, Good, 70% reading, 62% maths).
Peacehaven Heights Academy's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Telscombe Cliffs AcademyMeridian Community Primary School and NurseryBreakwater AcademySaltdean Primary School
The trust
Peacehaven Heights Academy is one of 19 schools run by Step Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
43 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Peacehaven Heights Academy (as of September 2025): 72% would recommend the school, 88% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (95%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (65%).
Who goes there
33.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 50 pupils (14.7%) received SEN support and 8 (2.4%) 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 Southease - Piddinghoe Road, about 2.4 miles away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Meridian Centre (outside), 250 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 144 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and public order offences. 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, Peacehaven Heights Academy issued 4 suspensions, 1.1 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 multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; 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
Peacehaven Heights Academy has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in February 2022. Before that, as Peacehaven Heights Primary School (URN 138426), it was rated Requires Improvement in January 2020.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Peacehaven Heights Academy prioritises reading and has successfully helped weaker readers catch up with their peers through skilled teaching. The school welcomes all pupils, including those with special educational needs, and adapts learning so everyone can access the full curriculum. Staff build strong relationships with pupils, who feel listened to and cared for, and the school offers exciting opportunities beyond academics to help children develop their talents.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading with well-trained staff supporting early readers to catch up with peers
- Ambitious curriculum designed to enhance cultural understanding alongside academic knowledge, with careful adaptations for pupils with SEND
- Calm, focused behaviour in classrooms and effective early years provision that creates secure foundations
- Effective use of assessment information to adjust learning and identify additional needs early
- Extensive enrichment opportunities including trips, workshops, and clubs to develop pupils' talents and interests
Areas for Improvement
- Some teachers lack depth of subject knowledge in certain areas, leading to less effective explanations and limited pupil understanding
- Teachers do not consistently identify and correct pupils' misconceptions, allowing gaps in understanding to persist
- Attendance of disadvantaged pupils remains below school expectations despite overall sustained improvements
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
sporting fixtures, debating competitions, community events (bake sales, fireworks display), gardening clubs, sewing clubs, trips, workshops, breakfast club, after-school club
Peacehaven Heights Academy is a primary school that has experienced significant improvement over the past two years, with staff holding consistently high expectations for every pupil. The school is rated Good across all key areas including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.
At a Glance
33.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
43 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 65% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 79% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 75% to 80% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
22.3
Avg class size
22.0
Infant (KS1)
24.0
KS2
14
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Peacehaven Heights Academy
PTA Fireworks Event 2026
25 Sep 2026
Open Days - New Reception 2026-2027
14 Sep 2026
Parental & Carer Support Websites and Contacts
17 Aug 2023
From Peacehaven Heights Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Peacehaven Heights Academy
Term dates
Peacehaven Heights 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 Peacehaven Heights Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Peacehaven Heights 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
- 26
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 13
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 13 serious and 13 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
7 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 Peacehaven Heights Academy
Will you get a place at Peacehaven Heights Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Peacehaven Heights Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Peacehaven Heights Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Peacehaven Heights 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 Peacehaven Heights Academy for 2022 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
85%
Available places
355 pupils
420 places
65 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Peacehaven
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Peacehaven
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
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
50
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
17.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
339
Total Pupils
165
Boys
174
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
15.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,096
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,517
Per pupil
£3039k
Total funding
£201k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.6%
Overall absence
18.7%
Persistent absence
326
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
Peacehaven Heights Academy
Questions parents ask about Peacehaven Heights Academy
What are SATs results like at Peacehaven Heights Academy?
Of the pupils at Peacehaven Heights Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 80% reached the expected standard in reading and 79% did so in maths.
What is Peacehaven Heights Academy's Ofsted rating?
Peacehaven Heights Academy has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in February 2022. Before that, as Peacehaven Heights Primary School (URN 138426), it was rated Requires Improvement in January 2020.
What is the catchment area for Peacehaven Heights Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Peacehaven Heights 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 Peacehaven Heights Academy?
Peacehaven Heights Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 85% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Peacehaven Heights Academy?
Classes at Peacehaven Heights Academy average 22.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Peacehaven Heights Academy?
Peacehaven Heights Academy has around 339 pupils on roll. 34% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Peacehaven Heights Academy?
6.6% of sessions were missed at Peacehaven Heights Academy in 2024/25. 18.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Peacehaven Heights Academy?
Apply through East Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Peacehaven Heights 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.
How many road collisions happen near Peacehaven Heights Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 13 serious and 13 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 7 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 Peacehaven Heights Academy?
Peacehaven Heights Academy is at Hoddern Avenue, Peacehaven, East Sussex, BN10 7QY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)