OFSTED
10 October 2023
Latest graded inspection
Latest published outcome
Outstanding
OEIF
Quality of education
Outstanding
Behaviour & attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership & management
Outstanding
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
13 July 2022
Ungraded inspection
School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next
Published
27 September 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy sponsor led
Phase
Primary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
East Sussex
Trust
ARK SCHOOLS
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
435
435 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
196
45.1% of pupils
Male pupils
239
54.9% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
1.6 pts
below England
School
23.2%
Hastings
36.2%
South East
19.0%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
9.5 pts
below England
School
10.8%
Hastings
11.9%
South East
15.6%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
1.0 pts
below England
School
0.0%
Hastings
0.5%
South East
1.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
82.1%
357
Any other ethnic group
2.3%
10
Indian
2.3%
10
Any other Mixed background
2.1%
9
Any other Asian background
1.8%
8
Any other White background
1.8%
8
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
15.4%
67 of
435 pupils
5.4 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
3.1 pts
below
England
6.0%
2.4 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 2 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
EXPECTED STANDARD
Reading, writing & maths
73.0%
12.6 pts
above England
EXPECTED STANDARD
84.0%
Reading
10.2 pts above England
School
84.0%
Hastings
67.9%
South East
74.0%
England
73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD
82.0%
Writing
11.7 pts above England
School
82.0%
Hastings
66.6%
South East
70.5%
England
70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD
79.0%
Maths
7.0 pts above England
School
79.0%
Hastings
65.6%
South East
70.9%
England
72.0%
School results show the percentage of
pupils meeting the expected standard.
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages and are not
pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
4.15%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
2.07 pts
lower than
England
School
4.15%
Hastings
8.66%
South East
6.30%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
5.74%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
10.07 pts
lower than
England
School
5.74%
Hastings
22.84%
South East
15.75%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
0.26%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
1.54 pts
lower than
England
School
0.26%
Hastings
3.96%
South East
1.93%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open primary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
103.6%
15.4 pts
above England
Ark Little Ridge Primary Academy
103.6%
Hastings
90.0%
South East
89.5%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.