St Leonards Church of England Primary Academy, St Leonards-on-Sea

Good
Primary
Academy sponsor led
Mixed
Church of England
Ages 511

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~741m)Possible (~1.1km)Unlikely (~1.4km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Faith Rew
Pupils:400 / 420 capacity
LA:East Sussex
Phone:01424422950
Address:Collinswood Drive, St Leonards-on-Sea, TN38 0NX
Trust:DIOCESE OF CHICHESTER ACADEMY TRUST
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 April 2015

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 10 months ago
Good

Overall

Requires Improvement

Quality of Education

Requires Improvement

Behaviour & Attitudes

Requires Improvement

Personal Development

Requires Improvement

Leadership & Management

Requires Improvement

Early Years

Inspected 11 November 2025View full report
URN:141868
UKPRN:10049029
Diocese:Diocese of Chichester
Constituency:Hastings and Rye
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

St Leonards is an inclusive, caring school where children feel they belong and are happy to learn. The school excels at supporting disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs, helping them achieve well and prepare for their futures. Staff create a warm, nurturing environment where good behaviour and kindness are the norm, and pupils develop strong friendships.

Key Strengths

  • Pupils achieve well with strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics, particularly disadvantaged pupils compared to national averages
  • Effective early years provision with excellent transitions and focus on vocabulary and oracy skills
  • Highly inclusive school with clear commitment to supporting all pupils, including those with special educational needs
  • Well-designed curriculum that meets pupils' needs and is taught by staff with secure subject knowledge
  • Strong positive behaviour and relationships throughout the school with a caring, nurturing environment

Areas for Improvement

  • Attendance rates are not high enough, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities
  • Teaching of handwriting, spelling, punctuation and grammar is not consistently effective across the school
  • Some pupils' written work shows weaker handwriting, spelling, punctuation and grammar skills

Safeguarding

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

Extracurricular Activities

Opera, drama, performing arts, outdoor learning, physical education, sensory circuits, assemblies celebrating different cultures, links to a school in Sierra Leone

St Leonards Church of England Primary Academy is a well-led, inclusive school where most pupils achieve well and feel safe. The school has strong early years provision and effectively supports disadvantaged pupils, though attendance rates need improvement.

At a Glance

31.5%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-8ppMaths-4ppWriting-8pp

Reading has declined from 81% to 73%. Maths has declined from 85% to 81%. Writing has declined from 81% to 73%.

Class Sizes

29.5

Avg class size

29.7

Infant (KS1)

29.3

KS2

13

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

West St Leonards Rail Station
324m · 5 min walk

Bus Stops

Eversfield Hospital (opp)
226m · 4 min walk
Collinstone Road (adj)
245m · 4 min walk
Highland Mansions (opp)
295m · 5 min walk
West St Leonards Railway Station (o/s)
323m · 5 min walk
Collinswood Drive (adj)
338m · 5 min walk
Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

95%

Near capacity

400 pupils

420 capacity

20 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - St Leonards-on-Sea

High pressure
New homes approved:521
Projected new pupils:130

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for St Leonards-on-Sea

Admissions Demand - East Sussex

Low demand0.83x oversubscription

Places available

5,643

Applications

4,708

Got 1st preference

91.2%

Got preferred school

98.0%

Primary admissions across East Sussex (2025/26)

Inspection History(3)

11 November 2025
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesRequires Improvement
Personal DevelopmentRequires Improvement
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsRequires Improvement
19 October 2021
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementGood
Early YearsGood
16 January 2018
Requires ImprovementReport
Leadership & ManagementGood

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

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

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

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.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

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.

Sign up free to see teacher and staff data

School Funding

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

Sign up free to see how this school is funded

Pupil Absence
2024/25

6.09546%

Overall absence

16.34877%

Persistent absence

367

Enrolments

Authorised4.44353%
Unauthorised1.65194%
Persistent (10%+)16.34877%
Severe (50%+)1.3624%

Absence trend

4.73665%
18/19
3.7608%
20/21
6.17086%
21/22
6.78706%
22/23
7.02312%
23/24
6.09546%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Secondary Schools Nearby

Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.