Telscombe Cliffs Academy, Peacehaven
Telscombe Cliffs 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 92nd-highest of the 132 schools in East Sussex with published results, and 10,597th of 14,452 across England. It was 84% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Telscombe Cliffs Academy in detail
Telscombe Cliffs Academy in its own words
In its own words: "For any correspondence for the Chair of Governors, please send to the academy office."
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Telscombe Cliffs Academy one of the STEP Academies working together to provide every child with the skills to be successful in their next stage of learning."
Coming up: an open day on Wednesday 4 November 2026 at 9.30am. 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)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 69% of Year 6 pupils at Telscombe Cliffs Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 70% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 72% in East Sussex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 73% in reading and 72% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Telscombe Cliffs Academy
For September 2026 entry, 57 families put Telscombe Cliffs Academy as their first choice and 132 named it as one of their preferences, for 65 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 Telscombe Cliffs Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Telscombe Cliffs Academy are Peacehaven Heights Academy (0.4 miles, 80% reading, 79% maths); Meridian Community Primary School and Nursery (0.8 miles, Good, 62% reading, 52% maths); Saltdean Primary School (1.4 miles, Good, 70% reading, 62% maths); and St Margaret's CofE Primary School, Rottingdean (2 miles, Good, 73% reading, 81% maths).
Telscombe Cliffs Academy's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Peacehaven Heights AcademyMeridian Community Primary School and NurserySaltdean Primary SchoolSt Margaret's CofE Primary School, Rottingdean
The trust
Telscombe Cliffs 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
67 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Telscombe Cliffs Academy (as of September 2025): 78% would recommend the school, 84% say their child is happy there and 68% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (87%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (67%).
Who goes there
In 2026, 85 pupils (16.3%) received SEN support and 13 (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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Southease - Piddinghoe Road, about 2.5 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Peter's Avenue (e-bound), 190 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 117 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, Telscombe Cliffs Academy issued 18 suspensions, 3.2 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
Telscombe Cliffs Academy has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in February 2022. Before that, as Telscombe Cliffs Primary School and Nursery (URN 114420), it was rated Requires Improvement in September 2021.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school has transformed significantly under new leadership, creating a nurturing environment where all children thrive. Reading is celebrated throughout the school and staff make learning fun and meaningful, particularly in the excellent early years. Pupils are happy, feel safe, and are developing into well-rounded individuals equipped for their next steps.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding behaviour and attitudes, with pupils showing excellent motivation and respect for staff and each other
- Outstanding early years provision with fun, purposeful learning and well-embedded routines
- Reading is central to the curriculum with strong phonics teaching and a wide range of engaging books
- Excellent personal development through meaningful PSHE, school parliament, and enrichment activities
- Inclusive support for pupils with additional needs, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds
Areas for Improvement
- Most-able pupils are sometimes not challenged enough, which slows their progress through the curriculum
- Not all staff deliver the phonics programme with enough rigour and expertise, affecting pupils' reading fluency
- Some tasks set by teachers do not meet the needs of the most able pupils as well as they could
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with clear policies, staff understanding their responsibilities, and a strong focus on keeping pupils safe when using social media.
Extracurricular Activities
School parliament, debates, swimming lessons, art gallery visits, science observatory visits, play leader duties, clubs, enrichment activities
Telscombe Cliffs Academy has made rapid improvements since joining STEP Academy Trust in 2022, transforming from a school requiring improvement into one with good quality education and outstanding behaviour and personal development. Pupils are happy, feel safe, and show excellent attitudes to learning in a nurturing environment.
At a Glance
19.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
67 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 declined from 73% to 69% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 70% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 70% to 75% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.1
Avg class size
24.4
Infant (KS1)
26.3
KS2
17
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Telscombe Cliffs Academy
Term dates
Telscombe Cliffs 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 Telscombe Cliffs Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Telscombe Cliffs 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
- 13
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 11 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 Telscombe Cliffs Academy
Will you get a place at Telscombe Cliffs Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Telscombe Cliffs Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Telscombe Cliffs Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Telscombe Cliffs 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 Telscombe Cliffs 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
84%
Available places
530 pupils
630 places
100 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
85
SEN Support
13
EHC Plans
18.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
521
Total Pupils
251
Boys
270
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
29
Teachers
18.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,357
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,793
Per pupil
£3911k
Total funding
£158k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.6%
Overall absence
15.3%
Persistent absence
497
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
Telscombe Cliffs Academy
Questions parents ask about Telscombe Cliffs Academy
What are SATs results like at Telscombe Cliffs Academy?
Of the pupils at Telscombe Cliffs Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 69% reached the expected standard in reading and 70% did so in maths.
What is Telscombe Cliffs Academy's Ofsted rating?
Telscombe Cliffs Academy has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in February 2022. Before that, as Telscombe Cliffs Primary School and Nursery (URN 114420), it was rated Requires Improvement in September 2021.
What is the catchment area for Telscombe Cliffs Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Telscombe Cliffs 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 Telscombe Cliffs Academy?
Telscombe Cliffs Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 84% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at Telscombe Cliffs Academy?
Classes at Telscombe Cliffs Academy average 25.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Telscombe Cliffs Academy?
Telscombe Cliffs Academy has around 521 pupils on roll. 20% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Telscombe Cliffs Academy?
5.6% of sessions were missed at Telscombe Cliffs Academy in 2024/25. 15.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Telscombe Cliffs Academy?
Apply through East Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Telscombe Cliffs 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 Telscombe Cliffs Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 11 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 Telscombe Cliffs Academy?
Telscombe Cliffs Academy is at Telscombe Cliffs Way, Telscombe Cliffs, Peacehaven, East Sussex, BN10 7DE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)