OFSTED
13 November 2024
Latest ungraded inspection
Latest published outcome
Standards maintained
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy special converter
Phase
Not applicable
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Does not apply
Local authority
East Sussex
Trust
THE SOUTHFIELD TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
164
157 full-time ·
7 part-time
Female pupils
52
31.7% of pupils
Male pupils
112
68.3% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
17.3 pts
above England
School
42.1%
Eastbourne
26.9%
South East
19.0%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
8.7 pts
below England
School
11.6%
Eastbourne
13.8%
South East
15.6%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
1.0 pts
below England
School
0.0%
Eastbourne
0.9%
South East
1.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
77.4%
127
Any other ethnic group
4.3%
7
Any other White background
3.0%
5
Any other Mixed background
2.4%
4
White and Black Caribbean
2.4%
4
White and Asian
1.8%
3
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
100.0%
164 of
164 pupils
79.2 pts
above England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
14.2 pts
below
England
6.0%
93.4 pts
above
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 2 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
EXPECTED STANDARD
Reading, writing & maths
0.0%
60.4 pts
below England
EXPECTED STANDARD
0.0%
Reading
73.8 pts below England
School
0.0%
Eastbourne
62.0%
South East
74.0%
England
73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD
0.0%
Writing
70.3 pts below England
School
0.0%
Eastbourne
63.2%
South East
70.5%
England
70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD
0.0%
Maths
72.0 pts below England
School
0.0%
Eastbourne
61.2%
South East
70.9%
England
72.0%
School results show the percentage of
pupils meeting the expected standard.
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages and are not
pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
9.94%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
3.72 pts
higher than
England
School
9.94%
Eastbourne
7.59%
South East
6.30%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
32.43%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
16.62 pts
higher than
England
School
32.43%
Eastbourne
20.67%
South East
15.75%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
1.35%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
0.45 pts
lower than
England
School
1.35%
Eastbourne
2.41%
South East
1.93%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open not applicable schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
102.5%
22.7 pts
above England
The South Downs School
102.5%
Eastbourne
84.8%
South East
79.9%
England
79.8%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.