The Haven Church of England Methodist Primary School

About The Haven Church of England Methodist Primary School

The Haven Church of England Methodist Primary School in Eastbourne is a state primary for mixed pupils aged 4 to 11, currently home to 422 children against a capacity of 438. That near-full roll suggests the school is a settled choice for local families, and the demand is clearly there: for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 66 applications for just 40 places, with all 40 first-preference offers accepted. That oversubscription ratio of 1.65 to one tells you it’s a popular option. The pupil body is notably diverse in terms of disadvantage, with 25.8 per cent of children eligible for free school meals — significantly above the national average of around 23 per cent and well above the East Sussex primary average, which tends to sit closer to 15 per cent. So while the school serves a relatively affluent coastal town, its intake reflects a genuine mix of backgrounds, and the headteacher, Ros Collett, leads a community that is both oversubscribed and economically varied.

Academically, the school performs strongly. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 70 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — well above the East Sussex local authority average of 59 per cent. That puts The Haven first among ten schools in the Eastbourne town ranking, and 28th out of 144 primary schools across the wider county. At the higher standard, 6 per cent of pupils achieved greater depth across all three subjects, with reading and maths average scores of 105 and 104 respectively. In individual subjects, 83 per cent met the expected standard in writing, 80 per cent in maths, and 76 per cent in reading. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2018, rated it Good overall, with Good marks for early years provision, leadership and management, and the same grade in its previous 2014 inspection — a consistent track record.

The school offers a solid range of facilities, including a library, playing fields, a chapel and a Forest School, plus an outdoor playground. Sports provision covers rounders, gymnastics, cross country, cricket, netball, athletics and swimming, while clubs include coding, choir, gardening, film club, science club and art club. For families with children who have additional needs, the SEND register is broad: the school supports pupils with specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, visual impairment, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder, and social, emotional and mental health needs. With no nursery or sixth form, it’s a straightforward primary option for families in Eastbourne who want a church-school ethos, strong academic outcomes relative to the local area, and a genuinely mixed intake that reflects the wider community.

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