Hollington Primary School

Hollington Primary School is an inclusive and settled school where leaders, staff and the trust know the community well and have set clear priorities. The inspection found the school meeting the expected standard across achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils typically achieve well from their starting points, behaviour is calm and respectful, and the school provides strong support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities through provision such as The Bridge and nurture support. Notable strengths include reading and phonics, a broad and well-planned curriculum, effective early years provision, and a wide range of personal development opportunities. Leaders have taken effective action to improve attendance and reduce suspensions, and staff feel well supported. Historical published outcomes at the end of key stage 2 were below national averages, but the report notes that 2026 outcomes improved greatly and reflect improved achievement over time. The main areas for further work are continuing to reduce persistent absence, making sure teachers adapt learning precisely when checking pupils’ understanding, and embedding consistent teaching of writing, including spelling and handwriting, across subjects. The school is part of The Pioneer Academy trust and serves a community with well-above-average free school meal eligibility and high deprivation.

Strengths

• Reading and phonics are prioritised effectively from the start of school.
• Pupils typically achieve well from their starting points, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• The curriculum is broad, well planned and carefully reviewed.
• Teachers have secure subject knowledge and generally check pupils’ understanding well.
• Early years provision gives children a strong and nurturing start.
• Inclusion is a clear strength, with well-targeted support through The Bridge and nurture provision.
• Behaviour is calm and respectful, and suspensions have reduced.
• Attendance is a high priority and leaders’ actions are having a positive impact.
• Personal development is well designed, including The Pioneer Passport and extra-curricular opportunities.
• Leadership and governance are knowledgeable, supportive and focused on the right priorities.
• Staff feel well supported with their wellbeing and workload.

Areas for Improvement

• Persistent absence remains above national averages and requires continued focus.
• Teachers’ adaptations to learning are occasionally not precise enough, so some pupils do not access learning as well as they could.
• Writing, including spelling and handwriting, needs to be embedded and strengthened consistently across all subjects.
• Historical published outcomes at the end of key stage 2 were below national averages, although 2026 outcomes improved greatly.

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 Hollington Primary School attended 91.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 30.1% 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, 8.0% of pupils at Hollington Primary School 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 Hollington Primary School had 16.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.5% 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, 21.6% of pupils at Hollington Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.0% 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 Hollington Primary School received £8,526 and spent £8,154 for each of its 287 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £115,000 (£400 per pupil).

Across all 22 schools of The Pioneer Academy, income was £7,355 and spending £7,206 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 Hastings · East Sussex local authority: places and applications

Hollington Primary School is part of The Pioneer Academy, which runs 23 schools. The nearest others:

• Churchwood Primary School St Leonards-On-Sea
• Robsack Wood Primary School St Leonards-On-Sea
• Moulsecoomb Primary School Brighton
• Coombe Road Primary School Brighton
• Ightham Primary School Sevenoaks
• Edenbridge Primary School Edenbridge
• West Blatchington Primary and Nursery School Hove
• Holland Junior School Oxted
• Shoreham Village School Sevenoaks
• Halstead Community Primary School Sevenoaks

What is Hollington Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hollington Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Hollington Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hollington Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Hollington Primary School have?

Hollington Primary School has 264 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hollington Primary School cover?

Hollington Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Hollington Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 35% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Hollington Primary School?

Hollington Primary School is at Hollington Old Lane, St. Leonards-on-Sea, TN38 9DS.