Thornton Grove Academy, Hailsham
Thornton Grove Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Hailsham, part of Step Academy Trust.
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
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
Thornton Grove Academy in detail
Thornton Grove Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "At Thornton Grove Academy, we are committed to providing a safe, stimulating and intellectually challenging learning environment in which every pupil is supported and encouraged to achieve their full potential. Our academy is proud of recognising excellence and promoting high aspirations."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, gymnastics and philosophy.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Thornton Grove Academy
For September 2026 entry, 33 families put Thornton Grove Academy as their first choice and 41 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 3 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Thornton Grove Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Thornton Grove Academy are White House Academy (0.3 miles, Good, 68% reading, 86% maths); Grovelands Community Primary School (1 mile); Hawkes Farm Academy (1.1 miles, Good, 79% reading, 76% maths); and Hellingly Community Primary School (2 miles).
White House AcademyGrovelands Community Primary SchoolHawkes Farm AcademyHellingly Community Primary School
The trust
Thornton Grove 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.
Who goes there
39.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 64 pupils (25.3%) received SEN support and 7 (2.8%) 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 3.1 miles away in a straight line.
1 bus stop is within a five-minute walk; the closest is Greenwich Road (e-bound), 260 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Thornton Grove Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 134 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.
Sources: 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
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
No inspection data available
At a Glance
39.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
21.7
Avg class size
21.5
Infant (KS1)
23.3
KS2
11
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Thornton Grove Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Thornton Grove Academy.
- Summer Adventure Camp at Hailsham CC920m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Thornton Grove 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 Thornton Grove Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Thornton Grove 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
- 4
- Children hurt
- 2
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, 4 serious and 4 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 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 Thornton Grove Academy
Will you get a place at Thornton Grove Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Thornton Grove Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Thornton Grove Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Thornton Grove 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 Thornton Grove Academy for 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
120%
Over capacity
253 pupils
210 places
43 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Hailsham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Hailsham
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
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
64
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
28.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
253
Total Pupils
123
Boys
130
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
17
Teachers
14.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,197
Mean salary
2026 data
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Thornton Grove Academy
Questions parents ask about Thornton Grove Academy
What is the catchment area for Thornton Grove Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Thornton Grove Academy is oversubscribed, East Sussex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How big are the classes at Thornton Grove Academy?
Classes at Thornton Grove Academy average 21.7 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Thornton Grove Academy?
Thornton Grove Academy has around 253 pupils on roll. 40% are eligible for free school meals.
How do I apply to Thornton Grove Academy?
Apply through East Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Thornton Grove 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 Thornton Grove Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Thornton Grove Academy: Summer Adventure Camp at Hailsham CC (920m 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 Thornton Grove 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, 4 serious and 4 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 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 Thornton Grove Academy?
Thornton Grove Academy is at Marshfoot Lane, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 2PH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)