Establishment The South Downs School
URN: 142745
Academy special converter
Academy trust: THE SOUTHFIELD TRUST
- Address
- Beechy Avenue, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN20 8NU
- East Sussex (845)
- Headteacher / Principal
- Mrs Rachael Smart
- Age range Help with age range field Opens a dialog
- 4 to 11
- Phase of education
- Not applicable
- School type
- Academy special converter
- Academy trust
- THE SOUTHFIELD TRUST
- Gender of entry
- Mixed
- ID
-
URN: 142745,
DfE number: 845/7030
UKPRN: 10056150 - Establishment status
- Open
- Admissions policy
- Not applicable
- Telephone
- 01323730302
- Ofsted rating and reports
-
Why the rating is not displayed
From September 2024, Ofsted no longer makes an overall effectiveness judgement in inspections of state-funded schools. - Data from other services
- Religious character
- Does not apply
- Diocese
- Not applicable
- Religious ethos
- Does not apply
- Boarders
- No boarders
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Official sixth form
- Not applicable
- School capacity Help with school capacity field Opens a dialog
- 160
- Number of pupils
- 164
- Section 41 approved
- Not applicable
- Open date
- 1 April 2016
- Reason establishment opened
- Academy Converter
- Closed date
- Not recorded
- Reason establishment closed
- Not recorded
- Special classes
- Has Special Classes
- Number of pupils eligible for free school meals Help with number of pupils eligible for free school meals field Opens a dialog
- 66
- Percentage of children eligible for free school meals Help with percentage of children eligible for free school meals field Opens a dialog
- 42%
- Type of SEN provision
- SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty and PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
- Date last changed / confirmed
- 2 July 2026
- Type of resourced provision
- Not recorded
- Resourced provision number on roll
- Resourced provision capacity
- Special Educational Needs (SEN) unit number on roll
- Special Educational Needs (SEN) unit capacity
Legal duty to provide governance information
More details
All maintained school governing bodies and academy trusts have a legal duty to provide all of the governance information requested on this page in so far as it is available to them.
This will increase the transparency of governance arrangements. It will enable schools and the department to identify more quickly and accurately individuals who are involved in governance, and who govern in more than one context.
The information requested says nothing in itself about a person's suitability to govern. However, it is essential information for the department to be able to uniquely identify an individual and in a small number of cases conduct checks to confirm their suitability for this important and influential role.
You should provide all of the information requested insofar as it is available to you. A minimum set of information needs to be provided before a record can be saved.
A suggested privacy notice for schools is available for download: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-protection-and-privacy-privacy-notices (opens in new tab)
Shared chair of local governing body
Not recorded
Shared local governors
Not recorded
Local governance professional - individual academy or free school
Not recorded
Chair of local governing body
| Name | Shared with | Governance role identifier (GID) | Appointed by | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs Diane Aldridge | Not recorded | 1886864 | Appointed by GB/board | 22 April 2026 | 22 April 2030 |
Local governors
| Name | Shared with | Governance role identifier (GID) | Appointed by | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs Elizabeth Gillam | Not recorded | 1863598 | Appointed by trustees | 24 September 2025 | 23 September 2029 |
| Mrs Jessica Shepherd | Not recorded | 1809997 | Parent appointed by GB/board due to no election candidates | 28 November 2024 | 27 November 2027 |
Shared governance professional
Not recorded
Historic (left within last 12 months)
More details Less details
| Name | Governance role identifier (GID) | Role | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diane Aldridge | 1726637 | Local governor | 1 September 2018 | 22 April 2026 |
| Margaret Neal | 1289762 | Chair of local governing body | 31 March 2020 | 22 April 2026 |
| Terri Moroney | 1863595 | Local governor | 24 September 2025 | 3 February 2026 |
| Mike Hughesman | 1329631 | Local governor | 1 September 2018 | 1 September 2025 |
| Jacqueline Bale | 1623828 | Local governor | 6 October 2022 | 31 August 2025 |
| Penelope Kershaw | 1623829 | Local governor | 1 January 2018 | 31 August 2025 |
These establishments are linked with The South Downs School, URN: 142745. For example, they may be predecessor or successor establishments.
Showing 1 - 1 of 1
| URN | Establishment name | Type of link | Date linked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 114692 | The South Downs Community Special School | Predecessor | 1 April 2016 |
- Government office region (GOR)
- South East
- District
- Eastbourne
- Ward
- Old Town
- Parliamentary constituency
- Eastbourne
- Urban/rural description
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Government Statistical Service (GSS) local authority code
- E10000011
- Easting
- 558902
- Northing
- 99940
- Unique property reference number (UPRN)
- 100062248215
- Middle super output area (MSOA) Help with middle super output area Opens a dialog
- Eastbourne 006
- Lower super output area (LSOA) Help with lower super output area Opens a dialog
- Eastbourne 006C
Age range
The age range that the establishment is legally allowed to make provision for.
School capacity
The number of pupil places the establishment can accommodate.
Free school meals
This field is not editable by establishment users as it is populated by the DfE using the underlying data from the schools, pupils and their characteristics statistical release published each summer. The figures used are the performance table figures which ensures GIAS and the Find and Compare Schools in England service are consistent.
This information is compiled from the data returned by establishments for their establishment's situation on the third Thursday in January, in the spring school census data collection return.
This field shows whether a pupil's family have claimed eligibility for free school meals as reported in the annual spring school census. Pupils or their parents are able to claim free school meals if they receive a qualifying benefit. This field does not show pupils who actually received free school meals but the number of those who are eligible to receive them.
Free school meals
This field is not editable by establishment users as it is populated by the DfE using the underlying data from the schools, pupils and their characteristics statistical release published each summer. The figures used are the performance table figures which ensures GIAS and the Find and Compare Schools in England service are consistent.
This information is compiled from the data returned by establishments for their establishment's situation on the third Thursday in January, in the spring school census data collection return.
This field shows whether a pupil's family have claimed eligibility for free school meals as reported in the annual spring school census. Pupils or their parents are able to claim free school meals if they receive a qualifying benefit. This field does not show pupils who actually received free school meals but the percentage of those who are eligible to receive them.
Middle super output area (MSOA)
The data presented for the middle super output area (MSOA) is representative of the 2021 census.
Lower super output area (LSOA)
The data presented for the lower super output area (LSOA) is representative of the 2021 census.