OFSTED
20 January 2026
Latest inspection
Latest published outcome
Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding
Met
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum & teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development
Expected standard
Leadership & governance
Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
16 March 2022
Graded inspection
Inadequate
Published
3 July 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Free schools special
Phase
Not applicable
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
East Sussex
Trust
THE BECKMEAD TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
63
63 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
15
23.8% of pupils
Male pupils
48
76.2% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
33.9 pts
above England
School
58.7%
Hastings
36.2%
South East
19.0%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
20.3 pts
below England
School
0.0%
Hastings
11.9%
South East
15.6%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
1.0 pts
below England
School
0.0%
Hastings
0.5%
South East
1.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
92.1%
58
Any other White background
3.2%
2
Any other ethnic group
1.6%
1
Irish
1.6%
1
White and Black Caribbean
1.6%
1
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%
63 of
63 pupils
79.2 pts
above England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
14.8 pts
below
England
6.0%
94.0 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 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
6.0
33.2 pts
below England
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority 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
29.31%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
23.09 pts
higher than
England
School
29.31%
Hastings
8.66%
South East
6.30%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
60.29%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
44.48 pts
higher than
England
School
60.29%
Hastings
22.84%
South East
15.75%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
27.94%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
26.14 pts
higher than
England
School
27.94%
Hastings
3.96%
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
78.8%
1.0 pts
below England
The Flagship School
78.8%
Hastings
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.