Willingdon Community School

Willingdon Community School continues to perform well, maintaining its status as a good school. The school is characterized by high expectations, a strong commitment to student welfare and personal development, and effective management of a well-planned and ambitious curriculum. Pupils feel safe and supported, reporting that bullying is rare and effectively addressed. The school is known for its excellent career support, helping many students transition successfully to post-16 education.

Strengths

• High expectations of pupils and strong focus on celebration and praise
• Extensive extra-curricular and enrichment opportunities
• Exceptional collaboration among teachers to support best practices
• Strong support for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs
• Effective safeguarding culture that promotes student well-being
• High attendance rates and low levels of persistent absence
• Significant progress in external examination outcomes

Areas for Improvement

• Low take-up of modern foreign languages limits the full English Baccalaureate
• A small minority of parents feel disengaged and uninformed about school intentions

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Willingdon Community School attended 92.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 19.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 6.7% of pupils at Willingdon Community School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Willingdon Community School had 18.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 20.0% of pupils at Willingdon Community School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Willingdon Community School received £7,738 and spent £7,702 for each of its 1,118 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £94,000 (£84 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Eastbourne · East Sussex local authority: places and applications

What is Willingdon Community School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Willingdon Community School is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was Willingdon Community School last inspected by Ofsted?

Willingdon Community School was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does Willingdon Community School have?

Willingdon Community School has 1,117 pupils on roll.

What age range does Willingdon Community School cover?

Willingdon Community School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Willingdon Community School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.2, and 49% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Willingdon Community School?

Willingdon Community School is at Broad Road, Lower Willingdon, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN20 9QX.