Bexhill Academy

Bexhill Academy is a larger-than-average primary school in an area of high deprivation, with a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals and special educational needs support. It is part of WISE Academies and was inspected in June 2026, with safeguarding standards met. Overall, the school is performing strongly, with exceptional early years provision that starts at age two and gives children firm foundations, especially disadvantaged children. Pupils leave key stage 2 attaining consistently well, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.

Strengths

• Exceptional early years provision from age two, with a strong focus on communication, language, early reading, writing and mathematics.
• Consistently strong attainment at the end of key stage 2, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Strong attendance, with successful work to remove barriers and high attendance for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Calm, welcoming and respectful school culture where pupils behave well and bullying is dealt with swiftly.
• Highly inclusive provision with early identification and well-coordinated support for SEND, disadvantaged pupils and children known to social care.
• Ambitious leadership and effective governance, with staff feeling valued and well supported.
• Strong partnerships with parents and carers, and effective work with external agencies.
• Broad personal development and enrichment, including forest learning, trips, music, clubs and citizenship activities.
• Open and positive safeguarding culture with all legal requirements met.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching is not consistently strong across all curriculum subjects and year groups.
• Pedagogy is more established in some subjects than others, and teaching quality varies between classes.
• Leaders need to further develop staff subject knowledge and expertise so that highly effective teaching is embedded across the school.

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 Bexhill Academy attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

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, 0.6% of pupils at Bexhill Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Bexhill Academy had 21.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

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, 29.7% of pupils at Bexhill Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Bexhill Academy received £7,737 and spent £7,677 for each of its 338 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £509,000 (£1,509 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of Wise Academies, income was £8,327 and spending £8,361 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Sunderland · Sunderland local authority: places and applications

Bexhill Academy is part of Wise Academies, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• Town End Academy Sunderland
• North View Academy Sunderland
• Hasting Hill Academy Sunderland
• Ashley Academy South Shields
• Welbeck Academy Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Thornley Academy Durham
• Croftway Academy Blyth
• Malvin's Close Academy Blyth
• Morpeth Road Academy Blyth
• Esh Winning Academy Durham

What is Bexhill Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bexhill Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Bexhill Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Bexhill Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Bexhill Academy have?

Bexhill Academy has 360 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bexhill Academy cover?

Bexhill Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Bexhill Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bexhill Academy?

Bexhill Academy is at Bexhill Road, Town End Farm, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR5 4PJ.