Peacehaven Community School

Peacehaven Community School, which was inspected for the first time under section 5 of the Education Act 2005, has received a 'Good' rating across all evaluated domains. The school is part of Swale Academies Trust and has shown notable improvement under the guidance of its leadership and the trust's support. Pupils' achievements are rising, with strong engagement in their learning and a positive school culture that emphasizes respect and responsibility. The provision for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is particularly commendable, providing them with an inclusive educational experience similar to their peers. While the overall effectiveness of the school is positive, there are areas identified for improvement, particularly regarding the breadth of subject offerings in key stage 4, especially concerning the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subjects. Additionally, there are concerns regarding the consistency of teaching quality across all subjects, which the leadership team acknowledges and is actively working to address. This reflects a committed approach to developing both the staff and curriculum to meet the needs of all learners.

Strengths

• Strong leadership with high ambitions for pupils' achievements.
• Inclusive atmosphere with excellent support for SEND students.
• Calm and orderly environment with high expectations for behaviour.
• Wide range of extra-curricular opportunities for student engagement.
• Effective personal development program promoting well-being and community service.
• Strong subject expertise in key areas such as English and physical education.

Areas for Improvement

• Need to increase the proportion of pupils studying EBacc subjects at key stage 4.
• Inconsistent teaching quality across some subjects.

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 Peacehaven Community School attended 88.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 25.9% 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, 6.6% of pupils at Peacehaven Community School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Peacehaven Community School had 14.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.6% 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, 16.4% of pupils at Peacehaven Community School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.7% 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 2024–25 Peacehaven Community School received £10,039 and spent £10,029 for each of its 903 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £367,000 (£407 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of Swale Academies Trust, income was £8,268 and spending £8,248 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 Lewes · East Sussex local authority: places and applications

Peacehaven Community School is part of Swale Academies Trust, which runs 19 schools. The nearest others:

• The Eastbourne Academy Eastbourne
• Parkland Infant School Eastbourne
• Parkland Junior School Eastbourne
• The Turing School Eastbourne
• Shinewater Primary School Eastbourne
• Langney Primary Academy Eastbourne
• South Borough Primary School Maidstone
• The Holmesdale School Snodland
• Meopham School Gravesend
• James Dixon Primary School London

What is Peacehaven Community School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Peacehaven Community School last inspected by Ofsted?

Peacehaven Community School was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does Peacehaven Community School have?

Peacehaven Community School has 890 pupils on roll.

What age range does Peacehaven Community School cover?

Peacehaven Community School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Peacehaven Community School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 38.3, and 27% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Peacehaven Community School?

Peacehaven Community School is at Greenwich Way, Peacehaven, East Sussex, BN10 8RB.