Ofsted: Requires improvement trending_up Places Available emoji_events #75 in East Sussex public Top 56% UK

Telscombe Cliffs Academy

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

personMr Peter Ediss

corporate_fareSTEP ACADEMY TRUST

location_onPeacehaven, BN10 7DE

language Visit Website phone 7748151815

verified

Ofsted

Requires improvement

Inspected 2025

groups

Students

619

school

Expected Standard

62%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

0.8x

summarize

Telscombe Cliffs Academy is a Academy sponsor led primary school in Peacehaven, serving ages 2-11. Currently Requires Improvement according to Ofsted — the school is working to raise standards. Ranks in the top 56% of primary schools nationally.

article

School Summary

Telscombe Cliffs Academy is an academy sponsor led in Peacehaven, East Sussex, admitting pupils aged 2-11. It is part of STEP ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 565 pupils on roll, of whom 21% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 62% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 2% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #75 of 129 primaries in East Sussex and #9,185 of 14,143 nationally.

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

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.8× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 21.1:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 1.2 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

62%

LA 58%

Reading69% LA 72%

Writing75% LA 69%

Maths70% LA 68%

Read SS

103

Maths SS

103

GPS SS

103

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

61%

LA 56%England 61%

Reading73% LA 71% · Eng 74%

Writing70% LA 69% · Eng 72%

Maths72% LA 68% · Eng 73%

Read SS

104

Maths SS

103

GPS SS

105

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

61%

LA 55%England 60%

Reading74% LA 70% · Eng 73%

Writing74% LA 68% · Eng 71%

Maths78% LA 66% · Eng 73%

Read SS

104

Maths SS

104

GPS SS

105

Progress (0 = national avg)

-1.5

Read

LA -0.9

-3.0 to -0.1

-1.9

Write

LA -1.5

-3.3 to -0.5

-0.8

Maths

LA -2.0

-2.2 to 0.5

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

14 January 2025

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2025-01-14

Academy First Section 5 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

Good

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Good

2021-09-21

S5 Inspection EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Good

Development

Requires improvement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2016-07-06

None EIF

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

1.2%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.5%(3 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: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 565 pupils. During this period, there were 7 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 1.2%, which is above the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	565	7	1.2%	0.8%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	564	6	1.1%	0.9%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	591	6	1.0%	0.8%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	596	15	2.5%	0.7%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	604	18	3.0%	0.8%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	619	4	0.6%	0.7%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	619	7	1.1%	0.6%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	617	11	1.8%	0.6%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	624	4	0.6%	0.5%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	0	5	-	0.5%	0

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

accessibility_new

psychology_alt

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.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 35 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 34 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 18 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 5 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 5 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

Physical Disability 2 pupils

Top Primary Schools in East Sussex

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Breakwater Academy

Good

location_on Newhaven, BN9 9UT

emoji_events #1 in LA

Sandown Primary School and Nursery

Good

location_on Hastings, TN34 2AA

emoji_events #2 in LA

Ark Blacklands Primary Academy

Outstanding

location_on Hastings, TN34 2HU

emoji_events #3 in LA

Pevensey and Westham CofE Primary School

Requires improvement

location_on Pevensey, BN24 5LP

emoji_events #4 in LA

Peacehaven Heights Academy

Requires improvement

location_on Peacehaven, BN10 7QY

emoji_events #5 in LA

St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School

Outstanding

location_on Bexhill-on-Sea, TN40 1QE

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in East Sussex arrow_forward

Telscombe Cliffs Academy

School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary 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 Primary Schools in East Sussex

Breakwater Academy

Sandown Primary School and Nursery

Ark Blacklands Primary Academy

Pevensey and Westham CofE Primary School

Peacehaven Heights Academy

St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School