Breakwater Academy
Valley Road, Newhaven, BN9 9UT
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- STEP ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Ms Sally Franceschi
- Sponsor
- STEP ACADEMY TRUST
- Constituency
- Lewes
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 144
- URN
- 143120
- Local authority
- East Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01273514300
About this school
Breakwater Academy is a primary academy in Newhaven. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 144 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Breakwater Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 6 November 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 | 19 | 23 | 21 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 74% | 74% | 81% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 79% | 78% | 81% |
| Expected standard in maths | 84% | 83% | 81% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 89% | 83% | 76% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 109.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 108.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.80 | - | - |
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 Breakwater 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 | 74% | 54.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 74% | 56.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 81% | 57.6% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 164 |
| 2023/24 | 168 |
| 2024/25 | 163 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Breakwater Academy compares
Breakwater Academy ranked 8th of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 89% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 71% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 81% | 4.6% | 46% | 144 | — |
| Harbour Primary and Nursery School | 74% | 7.2% | 40% | 473 | 0.4 miles |
| High Cliff Academy | 76% | 7.2% | 35.8% | 154 | 0.5 miles |
| Denton Community Primary School and Nursery | 52% | 5% | 22.4% | 232 | 1.2 miles |
| Meridian Community Primary School and Nursery | 31% | 6.2% | 27.5% | 449 | 1.5 miles |
| Peacehaven Heights Academy | 79% | 6.6% | 37.5% | 339 | 1.7 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)
- 46.01%
- English as an additional language
- 14.1%
- Overall absence
- 4.57%
- Persistent absence
- 8.78%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Harbour Primary and Nursery School0.4 miles
Primary · Newhaven
-
High Cliff Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Newhaven
-
Denton Community Primary School and Nursery1.2 miles
Primary · Newhaven
-
Meridian Community Primary School and Nursery1.5 miles
Primary · Peacehaven
-
Peacehaven Heights Academy1.7 miles
Primary · Peacehaven
Other schools in Newhaven
- Denton Community Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Harbour Primary and Nursery School Primary
- High Cliff Academy Primary
- Seahaven Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Breakwater Academy teach?
- Breakwater Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Newhaven.
- Who is the headteacher of Breakwater Academy?
- The headteacher of Breakwater Academy is Ms Sally Franceschi, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Breakwater Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Breakwater 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 many pupils are at Breakwater Academy?
- Breakwater Academy has 144 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Breakwater Academy full?
- Breakwater Academy has capacity for 210 pupils and 144 on roll (69%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Breakwater Academy a faith school?
- No. Breakwater Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Breakwater Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Breakwater Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Is Breakwater Academy part of an academy trust?
- Breakwater Academy is part of STEP ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Breakwater Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 74% in 2022/23 and 81% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Breakwater Academy compare with other schools in East Sussex?
- Breakwater Academy ranked 8th of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 89% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 71% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Breakwater Academy's absence rate?
- Breakwater Academy's overall absence rate is 4.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Breakwater Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Breakwater 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.