High Cliff Academy
Primary · Academy sponsor led · Mixed · East Sussex
Southdown Road, Newhaven, BN9 9FD
70
headline score
Ranking (England)
—
No ranked results
Ofsted
School remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next
No graded inspection
Application demand
100%
1st preference success · Not oversubscribed
Attendance
92.8%
17.3% persistently absent
At a glance
Pupils on roll
154
Capacity used
Has space73%
210 places
GCSE rank (England)
—
KS2 rank (England)
—
Application demand
Primary entry · official council applications and offers
100%
1st preference success rate
16 of 16 families who put it first got an offer
21
Places offered
55
Total applications
2.6
Applications per place
| Preference (Sept 2025 entry) | Applications | Offers | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st preference | 16 | 16 | ● 100% |
| 2nd preference | 18 | 0 | ● 0% |
| 3rd preference | 21 | 4 | ● 19% |
| Total | 55 | 20 | 36% |
1st preference success by year
East Sussex lets families list 3 preferences. Source: Department for Education, school-level applications and offers. Offers are made on each school's admissions criteria (e.g. siblings, distance, faith), so check the school's policy.
Details
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Phase
- Primary
- Age range
- 4–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Boarding
- No boarders
- Headteacher
- Megan West
- Address
- Southdown Road, Newhaven, BN9 9FD
- Phone
- 01273041471
- Local authority
- East Sussex
- Ward / constituency
- Newhaven South · Lewes
- Area
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 140385
Pupils
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free school meals | 37% | — | — |
| English as additional language | 9% | — | — |
| SEN support | 35% | — | — |
Local deprivation (IDACI quintile 4 of 5)
1 = least deprived area, 5 = most deprived. Context only.
Academy trust: STEP ACADEMY TRUST
154 pupils · 210 places. Intake figures describe the school's community — they aren't good or bad.
Ofsted inspections
- 26
09 June 2026
S5 Inspection · report card
Inclusion Expected standard Achievement Expected standard Safeguarding standards Met Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Attendance and behaviour Expected standard Leadership and governance Expected standard Early years Expected standard Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard Post-16 provision Not applicable - 23
22 November 2023
Ungraded inspection
School remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next
Attendance
2024/2025 school year · 162 pupils
Attendance
92.8%
Share of sessions attended · England 94.5%
Overall absence
7.2%
Sessions missed, any reason · England 5.5%
Persistent absence
17.3%
Pupils missing 10%+ of school · England 14.6%
Severe absence
3.1%
Pupils missing 50%+ of school · England 2.3%
Unauthorised absence
2.9%
Absences the school didn't approve
Persistent absence by year
Source: Department for Education, pupil absence by school (pupils aged 5–15). Lower absence is better. England figures are approximate 2023/24 averages.
Primary results (Key Stage 2)
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expected standard in reading, writing & maths | 70% | — | — |
| Higher standard | 0% | — | — |
| Reading progress | — | — | 0.0 |
| Writing progress | — | — | 0.0 |
| Maths progress | — | — | 0.0 |
Primary results by subject (SATs)
Year 6 pupils meeting each standard, against England
Reading, writing & maths combined
Reading
Writing
Maths
Grammar, punctuation & spelling
Science
England average · Scaled scores run 80–120 (100 = expected standard).
Primary results over time
Expected standard (RWM) by year (2020 and 2021 exams were cancelled)
| Result | School | England (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Expected standard (RWM) | 76% | 61% |
| Higher standard | 0% | 8% |
House prices near the school
Typical sold prices (Land Registry) within 1 km, last 12 months.
Loading prices…
Key application dates
National deadlines in England. Apply through East Sussex council, not the school.
| Entry | Deadline | Offer day |
|---|---|---|
| Reception (primary) | 15 January | 16 April (or next working day) |
Source: Get Information About Schools and the DfE school and college performance tables (2023-2024); Oxbridge figures from the University of Cambridge's admissions by UCAS apply centre (Oxford doesn't publish per-school figures). Read the method.