Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #9 in East Sussex public Top 19% UK

The Cavendish School

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

personMr Peter Marchant

corporate_fareCAVENDISH EDUCATION TRUST

location_onEastbourne, BN21 1UE

language Visit Website phone 1323731340

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2025

groups

Students

1,362

trending_up

Attainment 8

47.3

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#8 in East Sussex

#1,322 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

The Cavendish School is a Academy converter secondary school in Eastbourne, serving ages 2-16. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.4×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

The Cavendish School is an academy converter in Eastbourne, East Sussex, admitting pupils aged 2-16. It is part of CAVENDISH EDUCATION TRUST. The school has approximately 1,372 pupils on roll, of whom 21% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 47.3, placing the school #8 in East Sussex and #1,322 of 3,216 nationally. 52.90% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 19.0% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

In 2025, 82% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 10% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #9 of 22 primaries in East Sussex and #1,634 of 3,216 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2025. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Outstanding, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Outstanding.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.4× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 20.1:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 2.5 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

47.3

Grade 5+ E&M

52.90%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)19.0%

Entering EBacc43.50%

EBacc APS4.17

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.47

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

50.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc31.80%

EBacc APS4.32

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.38

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

48.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc43%

EBacc APS4.20

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.52

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

52.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc32%

EBacc APS4.46

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc39%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.39

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc24%

EBacc APS4.35

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.26

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

48.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc32%

EBacc APS4.23

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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

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)90%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

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

Apprenticeships4%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

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

Apprenticeships1%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

90%

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

Apprenticeships1%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)10%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)90%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

82%

LA 58%

Reading89% LA 72%

Writing84% LA 69%

Maths98% LA 68%

Read SS

108

Maths SS

109

GPS SS

111

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

71%

LA 56%England 61%

Reading78% LA 71% · Eng 74%

Writing80% LA 69% · Eng 72%

Maths88% LA 68% · Eng 73%

Read SS

107

Maths SS

107

GPS SS

111

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

77%

LA 55%England 60%

Reading92% LA 70% · Eng 73%

Writing80% LA 68% · Eng 71%

Maths93% LA 66% · Eng 73%

Read SS

109

Maths SS

108

GPS SS

112

Progress (0 = national avg)

2.0

Read

LA -0.9

0.4 to 3.6

-0.8

Write

LA -1.5

-2.4 to 0.7

2.1

Maths

LA -2.0

0.6 to 3.6

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

LA 63%England 65%

Reading-% LA 72% · Eng 73%

Writing-% LA 78% · Eng 78%

Maths-% LA 74% · Eng 79%

Read SS

Maths SS

GPS SS

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

LA -0.4

Write

LA -0.7

Maths

LA -1.2

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

LA 65%

Reading-% LA 77%

Writing-% LA 79%

Maths-% LA 74%

Read SS

Maths SS

GPS SS

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

LA 0.5

Write

LA -0.3

Maths

LA -0.4

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

28 January 2025

Inspection Report

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19 September 2023

Inspection Report

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20 March 2018

Inspection Report

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10 August 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2025-01-28

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Outstanding

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2018-03-20

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2011-09-12

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

1.8%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.2%(17 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 1,372 pupils. During this period, there were 25 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 1.8%, 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)	1,372	25	1.8%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,371	43	3.1%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,384	51	3.7%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,375	26	1.9%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,382	35	2.5%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,382	38	2.7%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,362	43	3.2%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,362	25	1.8%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,360	12	0.9%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,347	10	0.7%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,347	5	0.4%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,322	13	1.0%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,314	2	0.2%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,318	15	1.1%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,301	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,301	6	0.5%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,297	13	1.0%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,222	18	1.5%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,214	22	1.8%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,205	17	1.4%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,103	18	1.6%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,073	10	0.9%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,063	13	1.2%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,022	22	2.2%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,015	25	2.5%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,001	31	3.1%	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.

Specific Learning Difficulty 60 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 59 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 29 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 9 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

Physical Disability 2 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

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The Cavendish School

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

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)

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

Seaford Head School

King's Academy Ringmer