Summerdown School is a special free school in Eastbourne, East Sussex, for children and young people aged 3 to 16.
- Ages 3–16
- 174 pupils
School details
- Type
- Special free school
- Ages
- 3 to 16
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 174 (places for 155)
- Headteacher
- Mrs Karen Sitwell-Cook
- Part of
- The Southfield Trust
- Opened
- 1 September 2022
- Free school meals
- 34.5% of pupils eligible
- Council
- East Sussex
- School reference (URN)
- 149138
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places at schools like this usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask questions
See whether the school feels right and whether it can meet your child’s needs. Our list of questions below can help.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often East Sussex council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- Named in the plan
If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Free home-to-school transport is often part of the arrangement.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Graded by area, January 2025
Inspected in January 2025. Inspections from September 2024 to November 2025 graded each area but gave no overall grade.
- Quality of educationOutstanding
- Behaviour and attitudesOutstanding
- Personal developmentOutstanding
- Leadership and managementOutstanding
- Early yearsOutstanding
- SafeguardingEffective
Contact and getting there
3 Broadwater Way, Eastbourne, BN22 9PZ
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- The Lindfield School Special school · Ages 11–16 · Ofsted: Outstanding 0.8 miles
- The Eastbourne Academy Mainstream + base · Ages 11–16 0.8 miles
- Anderida Learning Centre Independent · Ages 11–18 · Ofsted: Good 1.3 miles
All SEND schools in East Sussex
By need in East Sussex: Autism (27) · Speech and language (13) · Moderate learning (12) · Severe learning (7) · SEMH (5) · Hearing (5) · Physical (5) · PMLD (2) · Dyslexia and SpLD (2)
Questions about Summerdown School
How do I get a place at Summerdown School?
There’s no catchment area or application round. Places usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult Summerdown School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What ages does Summerdown School take?
Aged 3 to 16, boys and girls.
What is Summerdown School’s Ofsted rating?
There’s no overall grade to show. Read the school’s latest inspection report on the Ofsted website.
Where is Summerdown School?
3 Broadwater Way, Eastbourne, BN22 9PZ, in East Sussex.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.