Willingdon Community SchoolThe Eastbourne Academy
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Eastbourne.
Summary of the comparison
Willingdon Community School and The Eastbourne Academy are secondary schools in Eastbourne.
Willingdon Community School scores 60 out of 100 (grade C, average) and The Eastbourne Academy scores 29 out of 100 (grade F, weak). Willingdon Community School is ahead on our composite score.
Willingdon Community School was judged Good and The Eastbourne Academy was judged in need of urgent improvement.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 45.0 for Willingdon Community School and 37.7 for The Eastbourne Academy.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Willingdon Community School (52.2 in 2021-22, 45.0 in 2024-25) and has fallen at The Eastbourne Academy (40.1 in 2021-22, 37.7 in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | EastbourneWillingdon Community School | EastbourneThe Eastbourne Academy | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C60/100Stronger figure | F29/100 | |
| Local ranking | 11th of 24 in East Sussex Stronger figure | 22nd of 24 in East Sussex | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: GoodStronger figure | Ofsted: Inadequate | |
| School type | Community school | Academy sponsor led | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,093 | 800 | |
| Capacity | 1,053 | 900 | |
| Location | Eastbourne, BN20 9QX | Eastbourne, BN22 9RQ | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 45.0 Stronger figure | 37.7 | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 48.5% Stronger figure | 25.0% | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 70.7% Stronger figure | 51.3% | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 39.4% Stronger figure | 20.6% | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.98 Stronger figure | 3.14 | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 198 | 160 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,093 | 800 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 19.6% | 47.3% | |
| English as an additional language | 3.1% | 11.5% | |
| SEN support | 17.8% | 14.9% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 3.6% | 2.4% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 7.4% Stronger figure | 10.9% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 19.1% Stronger figure | 29.2% | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Willingdon Community School
The Eastbourne Academy
Full profiles: Willingdon Community School · The Eastbourne Academy