Churchwood Primary School
General Information
- Address: Church-in-the-Wood Lane, St Leonards-on-Sea, TN38 9PB – View on map
- Phone: 01424852326
- Website: Visit school website
- Headteacher: Mr Rob Smith
- Age range: 2-11 years
- Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 16 families put it first for 20 places – 8 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 13 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 8
- Sixth form: No
- Intake: Mixed
- Religious character: Does not apply
- Nursery provision: Yes
Who goes here
- Pupils eligible for free school meals: 99
- % eligible for free school meals: 41.1%
- Pupil mix: 3 in 10 (less mixed than the Hastings average)
- English as an additional language: 5% (England 22%)
Staff
Teachers leaving each year
- Teacher turnover: 30.7% a year (Hastings 14.4%, typical in England 13.9%)
- Where they went: about 58% moved to another school, 42% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
- Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)
Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.
Behaviour
Awaiting Data
Across East Sussex: suspensions by reason
- Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 3 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
- Suspensions for bullying: 7 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 0 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
- Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)
These are figures for all state primary schools in East Sussex (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.
Attendance
- Overall absence: 7.4%
- Persistently absent pupils: 25.4%
- Data year: 2024/25
SEN
- SEN unit for Autism 8 places · 7 pupils at the last count
Places are usually for children with an EHC Plan and are arranged through the council, not the normal school application.
- Pupils on SEN Support: 30.7%
- Pupils with an EHC Plan: 5.0%
- Data year: 2025/26
Most common needs - SEN Support
- Speech, language and communications needs: 31 pupils
- SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 28 pupils
- Social, emotional and mental health: 7 pupils
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 5 pupils
- Specific learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Most common needs - EHC Plan
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 9 pupils
- Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
These figures show the makeup of the school.
Educational Attainment
Good 2022 report
Year 6 SATs results
- Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 46% (England 62%)
- Reached the higher standard: 0% (England 8%)
- Compared with the area: 20 percentage points below the Hastings average (66%)
- Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well below (3-year average 38% against an expected 56%)
- 3-year average (expected standard): 38%
- Expected standard by subject: Reading 68% · Writing 61% · Maths 46% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 54%
- Average test scores: reading 102, maths 97
- Based on: 28 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25
View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.
SATs results over time
Year 6 SATs: 14th of 15 junior and primary schools in the area
- #12Mulberry Baird Primary56%
- #13Christ Church CofE Primary and Nursery Academy50%
- #14Churchwood Primary School46%
- #15Hollington Primary School35%
Click to see the full ranking
View full Ofsted inspection report
4th of 13 primary schools in Hastings for Ofsted rating
- #2Ark Little Ridge Primary AcademyOutstanding
- #3Christ Church CofE Primary and Nursery AcademyGood
- #4Churchwood Primary SchoolGood
- #5Mulberry Silverdale PrimaryGood
- #6Ore Village Primary AcademyGood
Click to see the full ranking
Financials
Spending per pupil: £7,277 (2024-25)
5th of 15 primary schools in Hastings for spending per pupil
- #3Ore Village Primary Academy£7,532
- #4Sandown Primary School and Nursery£7,301
- #5Churchwood Primary School£7,277
- #6Christ Church CofE Primary and Nursery Academy£7,069
- #7Mulberry West St Leonards Primary£6,789
Click to see the full ranking
View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)