Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up Popular emoji_events #5 in East Sussex public Top 14% UK

Seaford Head School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personHead not listed

corporate_fareSEAFORD LEARNING TRUST

location_onSeaford, BN25 4LX

language Visit Website phone 1323891623

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2017

groups

Students

1,376

trending_up

Attainment 8

49.4

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#4 in East Sussex

#1,016 of 3,216 nationally

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Seaford Head School is a Academy converter secondary school in Seaford, serving ages 11-18. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Demand is above capacity (1.3×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Seaford Head School is an academy converter in Seaford, East Sussex, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of SEAFORD LEARNING TRUST. The school has approximately 1,448 pupils on roll, of whom 20% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 49.4, placing the school #4 in East Sussex and #1,016 of 3,216 nationally. 50.00% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 20.6% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 22 A-level subjects. 58.3% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 33.2% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.19 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2017. The school's current overall rating is Outstanding.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.3× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.9:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.6 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

49.4

Grade 5+ E&M

50.00%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)20.6%

Entering EBacc84.10%

EBacc APS4.56

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.47

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

50.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc73.30%

EBacc APS4.71

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.36

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

47.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc36%

EBacc APS4.19

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.43

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

53.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc29%

EBacc APS4.68

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc38%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.22

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

50.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc32%

EBacc APS4.42

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.35

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

47.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc24%

EBacc APS4.05

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)83%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)92%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

+0.19

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*14.2%

Achieving A*–A33.2%

Achieving A*–B58.3%

VA Banding Above average

Retention rate95.5%

A-level subjects offered22

2024

A-Level Value Added

0.0

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate93.70%

2023

Avg Grade

B-

Students

102

Retention rate88.20%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

106

Retention rate95.3%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

15 November 2023

Inspection Report

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13 September 2017

Inspection Report

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10 August 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2017-09-13

S5 Inspection Legacy

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2010-09-22

None Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.9%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.9%(13 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,448 pupils. During this period, there were 13 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.9%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,448	13	0.9%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,442	4	0.3%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,406	3	0.2%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,408	4	0.3%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,422	5	0.4%	8.2%	1
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,380	3	0.2%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,376	4	0.3%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,385	2	0.1%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,382	2	0.1%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,387	6	0.4%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,395	7	0.5%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,401	7	0.5%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,400	1	0.1%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,401	21	1.5%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,333	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,333	9	0.7%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,332	9	0.7%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,298	6	0.5%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,297	3	0.2%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,305	3	0.2%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,292	2	0.2%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,293	4	0.3%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,297	8	0.6%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,250	8	0.6%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,247	8	0.6%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,244	6	0.5%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Speech, Language & Communication 37 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 33 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 25 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 21 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 10 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 8 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

Physical Disability 1 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

88.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

88.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

17.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree52%

agree29%

disagree10%

strongly disagree7%

don't know2%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree31%

agree52%

disagree7%

strongly disagree2%

don't know7%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree21%

agree29%

disagree14%

strongly disagree5%

don't know2%

not applicable29%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree50%

agree45%

disagree2%

strongly disagree2%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree52%

agree36%

disagree12%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree45%

agree45%

disagree5%

strongly disagree2%

don't know2%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree50%

agree45%

disagree5%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree50%

agree40%

disagree2%

strongly disagree5%

don't know2%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree36%

agree45%

disagree5%

strongly disagree7%

don't know7%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes88%

no12%

Top Secondary Schools in East Sussex

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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Good

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Outstanding

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Good

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Good

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Outstanding

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School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in East Sussex

Claverham Community College

Heathfield Community College

Beacon Academy

Chailey School

King's Academy Ringmer

Uckfield College