St Paul's Church of England Academy
Horntye Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, TN37 6RT
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- DIOCESE OF CHICHESTER ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Co Headteacher Maria Kiniari Tom Glenn
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chichester
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Hastings and Rye
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 664
- Pupils on roll
- 634
- URN
- 143034
- Local authority
- East Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01424424530
About this school
St Paul's Church of England Academy is a Church of England primary academy in St Leonards-on-Sea. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 634 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 12 June 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good and saw signs of improvement; a full inspection will follow. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 90 | 89 | 90 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 59% | 65% | 72% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 6% | 7% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 68% | 75% | 84% |
| Expected standard in maths | 76% | 76% | 80% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 58% | 61% | 68% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.10 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Paul's Church of England Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | East Sussex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 59% | 54.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 65% | 56.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 72% | 57.6% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 654 |
| 2023/24 | 655 |
| 2024/25 | 661 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Paul's Church of England Academy compares
St Paul's Church of England Academy ranked 28th of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 40% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 72% | 5.9% | 38.3% | 634 | — |
| Christ Church CofE Primary and Nursery Academy | 50% | 6.2% | 50.4% | 428 | 0.3 miles |
| St Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School | — | — | — | 201 | 0.4 miles |
| Ark Blacklands Primary Academy | 92% | 5.1% | 21.9% | 623 | 0.7 miles |
| Mulberry Silverdale Primary | 60% | 6.8% | 24.1% | 618 | 0.8 miles |
| St Leonards Church of England Primary Academy | 63% | 6.1% | 36.4% | 400 | 1.1 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 38.3%
- English as an additional language
- 17.1%
- Overall absence
- 5.94%
- Persistent absence
- 16.85%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Christ Church CofE Primary and Nursery Academy0.3 miles
Primary · Hastings
-
St Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · St Leonards-on-Sea
-
Ark Blacklands Primary Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Hastings
-
Mulberry Silverdale Primary0.8 miles
Primary · St Leonards-On-Sea
-
St Leonards Church of England Primary Academy1.1 miles
Primary · St Leonards-on-Sea
Other schools in St Leonards-on-Sea
St Paul's Church of England Academy ranks 2nd of the 7 ranked primary schools in St Leonards-on-Sea.
- Ark Little Ridge Primary Academy Primary
- Churchwood Primary School Primary
- Mulberry Silverdale Primary Primary
- Mulberry West St Leonards Primary Primary
- Robsack Wood Primary School Primary
- St Leonards Church of England Primary Academy Primary
- St Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School Primary
- Mulberry Academy St Leonards Secondary
- Lansdowne Children's Centre Other types
- New Horizons School (Part of the Sabden Multi Academy Trust) Academies
- Saxon Mount School Academies
- Claremont School Independent schools
Common questions
- What year groups does St Paul's Church of England Academy teach?
- St Paul's Church of England Academy teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in St Leonards-on-Sea.
- Who is the headteacher of St Paul's Church of England Academy?
- The headteacher of St Paul's Church of England Academy is Co Headteacher Maria Kiniari Tom Glenn, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Paul's Church of England Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Paul's Church of England Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is St Paul's Church of England Academy?
- St Paul's Church of England Academy has 634 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is St Paul's Church of England Academy full?
- St Paul's Church of England Academy has capacity for 664 pupils and 634 on roll (95%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Paul's Church of England Academy a faith school?
- Yes. St Paul's Church of England Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chichester.
- Does St Paul's Church of England Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Paul's Church of England Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs St Paul's Church of England Academy?
- St Paul's Church of England Academy is part of DIOCESE OF CHICHESTER ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Paul's Church of England Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 59% in 2022/23 and 72% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Paul's Church of England Academy rank locally?
- St Paul's Church of England Academy ranked 28th of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 40% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Paul's Church of England Academy's absence rate?
- St Paul's Church of England Academy's overall absence rate is 5.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Paul's Church of England Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Paul's Church of England Academy's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 2 July 2026.