Polegate Primary School, Polegate
Polegate Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Polegate. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 73rd-highest of the 132 schools in East Sussex with published results, and 8,234th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2020)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Polegate Primary School in detail
Polegate Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Polegate School is a very happy and welcoming school with a staff team that is fantastic, nurturing and inspirational. We want to provide the best learning experience possible. Whilst we are immensely proud of our school we are not complacent as we continually look for ways to improve."
From the headteacher's welcome: "It gives me great pleasure on behalf of all the staff, children, parents and governors to warmly welcome you to our wonderful school. Polegate School is a very happy and welcoming school with a staff team that is fantastic- nurturing and inspirational. We want to provide the best learning experience possible."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, hockey, gymnastics, karate, cooking and art.
The school runs a breakfast club, from £5.00 per session.
Coming up: an open day on Wednesday 11 November 2026 at 9am and an open evening on Thursday 12 November 2026 at 5.30pm. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in East Sussex
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils at Polegate Primary School 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 76% in reading and 66% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Polegate Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 84 families put Polegate Primary School as their first choice and 165 named it as one of their preferences, for 88 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 2 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Polegate Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Polegate Primary School are Willingdon Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 77% reading, 75% maths); Oakwood Primary Academy (1.7 miles, Good, 68% reading, 64% maths); Stone Cross School (2 miles, Good, 78% reading, 63% maths); and Parkland Junior School (2.1 miles, Good, 79% reading, 76% maths).
Polegate Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Willingdon Primary SchoolOakwood Primary AcademyStone Cross SchoolParkland Junior School
What parents say
101 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Polegate Primary School (as of September 2025): 90% would recommend the school, 96% 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 is happy at the school (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (67%).
Who goes there
16.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 4.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (84%) and Mixed (5%).
In 2026, 124 pupils (18%) received SEN support and 17 (2.5%) 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 autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Polegate Rail Station, about 470 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Oakleaf Drive (just before), 150 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Polegate Primary School issued 7 suspensions, 1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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 · 1 year agoThis judgement is from January 2020, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Polegate Primary creates a vibrant, caring environment where children flourish academically and emotionally. The school excels in English and has refined its maths teaching so pupils build strong mathematical knowledge. With high expectations, excellent behaviour, and strong pastoral support including an on-site swimming pool, your child will develop not just as a learner but as a confident, resilient young person.
Key Strengths
- Pupils achieve well across the curriculum with high expectations and strong engagement in learning
- Exemplary behaviour with a deeply ingrained culture of mutual respect and understanding throughout the school
- Excellent pastoral support and well-being provision, including skilled staff helping pupils manage their feelings
- Strong teaching in English, particularly writing, with expert support for pupils with SEND
- Ambitious, well-considered curriculum with logical links between subjects and carefully sequenced learning
Areas for Improvement
- In a couple of subjects, pupils do not fully understand key concepts, leading to weak recall over time
- School does not analyse absence information in enough detail, potentially missing patterns of persistent absence
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with staff ensuring the school is a happy and secure place where pupils feel confident asking for help.
Extracurricular Activities
Music clubs, sports clubs, arts clubs, residential trips
Polegate Primary School has successfully maintained its outstanding standards from its previous inspection. The school is vibrant and friendly, with a strong vision of 'learning without limits' that shapes daily life for all pupils.
At a Glance
16.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
101 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 remained stable at around 77% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 66% to 73% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 78% to 83% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.7
Avg class size
30.2
Infant (KS1)
30.1
KS2
18
Total classes
4 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Polegate Primary School
Term dates
Polegate Primary 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
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Polegate Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Polegate Primary 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
- 19
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 15 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
5 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 Polegate Primary School
Will you get a place at Polegate Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Polegate Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Polegate Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Polegate Primary 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 Polegate Primary 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
101%
Over capacity
635 pupils
630 places
5 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Polegate
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Polegate
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(7)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
124
SEN Support
17
EHC Plans
20.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
689
Total Pupils
356
Boys
333
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
33
Teachers
20.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,850
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,118
Per pupil
£3518k
Total funding
£164k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.0%
Overall absence
10.4%
Persistent absence
556
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
Polegate Primary School
Questions parents ask about Polegate Primary School
What are SATs results like at Polegate Primary School?
Of the pupils at Polegate Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 77% reached the expected standard in reading and 73% did so in maths.
What is Polegate Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Polegate Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2020, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Polegate Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Polegate Primary 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 Polegate Primary School?
Polegate Primary School was full in 2025, at 101% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Polegate Primary School?
Classes at Polegate Primary School average 28.7 pupils (2025/26). 4 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Polegate Primary School?
Polegate Primary School has around 689 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Polegate Primary School?
5% of sessions were missed at Polegate Primary School in 2024/25. 10.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Polegate Primary School?
Apply through East Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Polegate Primary 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.
What are Polegate Primary School's term dates?
Polegate Primary 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 Polegate Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 15 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 5 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 Polegate Primary School?
Polegate Primary School is at Oakleaf Drive, East Sussex, Polegate, East Sussex, BN26 6PT.
Sources: East Sussex term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)