St John's Meads Church of England Primary School
Rowsley Road, Eastbourne, BN20 7XS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- DIOCESE OF CHICHESTER ACADEMY TRUST
- Interim Headteacher
- Mr Beruk Berhane
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chichester
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Eastbourne
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 218
- Pupils on roll
- 162
- URN
- 147712
- Local authority
- East Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01323730255
About this school
St John's Meads Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Eastbourne. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 162 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St John's Meads Church of England Primary School, 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 32 | 32 | 31 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 66% | 53% | 71% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 9% | 6% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 91% | 72% | 81% |
| Expected standard in maths | 78% | 53% | 84% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 84% | 63% | 68% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 104.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 101.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.00 | - | - |
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 John's Meads Church of England Primary School 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 | 66% | 54.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 53% | 56.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 71% | 57.6% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 216 |
| 2023/24 | 201 |
| 2024/25 | 182 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St John's Meads Church of England Primary School compares
St John's Meads Church of England Primary School ranked 36th of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 71% | 4.8% | 9.3% | 162 | — |
| Motcombe Infants' School | — | 6.3% | 18.1% | 219 | 1.7 miles |
| Pashley Down Infant School | — | 5.3% | 19.1% | 230 | 1.7 miles |
| Bourne Primary School | 33% | 7.6% | 34.2% | 414 | 1.9 miles |
| St Thomas A Becket Catholic Primary School | — | — | — | 432 | 1.9 miles |
| Ocklynge Junior School | 52% | 5.1% | 30.2% | 720 | 2.3 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)
- 9.34%
- English as an additional language
- 13.2%
- Overall absence
- 4.79%
- Persistent absence
- 13.71%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Motcombe Infants' School1.7 miles
Primary · Eastbourne
-
Pashley Down Infant School1.7 miles
Primary · Eastbourne
-
Bourne Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Eastbourne
-
St Thomas A Becket Catholic Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Eastbourne
-
Ocklynge Junior School2.3 miles
Primary · Eastbourne
Other schools in Eastbourne
St John's Meads Church of England Primary School ranks 2nd of the 14 ranked primary schools in Eastbourne.
- Bourne Primary School Primary
- Heron Park Primary Academy Primary
- Langney Primary Academy Primary
- Motcombe Infants' School Primary
- Oakwood Primary Academy Primary
- Ocklynge Junior School Primary
- Parkland Infant School Primary
- Parkland Junior School Primary
- Pashley Down Infant School Primary
- Roselands Infants' School Primary
- Shinewater Primary School Primary
- St Andrew's Church of England Infants School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St John's Meads Church of England Primary School teach?
- St John's Meads Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Eastbourne.
- Who is the interim headteacher of St John's Meads Church of England Primary School?
- The interim headteacher of St John's Meads Church of England Primary School is Mr Beruk Berhane, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St John's Meads Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St John's Meads Church of England Primary School, 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 St John's Meads Church of England Primary School?
- St John's Meads Church of England Primary School has 162 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St John's Meads Church of England Primary School full?
- St John's Meads Church of England Primary School has capacity for 218 pupils and 162 on roll (74%), 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 St John's Meads Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St John's Meads Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chichester.
- Does St John's Meads Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St John's Meads Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is St John's Meads Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- St John's Meads Church of England Primary School 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 John's Meads Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 66% in 2022/23 and 71% 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 John's Meads Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in East Sussex?
- St John's Meads Church of England Primary School ranked 36th of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% 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 John's Meads Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- St John's Meads Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St John's Meads Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St John's Meads Church of England Primary School'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 10 July 2026.