New Horizons School (Part of the Sabden Multi Academy Trust)

  • Special
  • Academy
  • Ages 5 to 16
Ofsted judgements: Good

Beauchamp Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, TN38 9JUOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)

New Horizons School (Part of the Sabden Multi Academy Trust) is a special school in St Leonards-on-Sea for ages 5 to 16. It is one of the 214 schools in East Sussex. Its latest Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, graded each key judgement and gave no overall Ofsted rating.

Ofsted inspection

Inspected 24 June 2025, report published 9 September 2025

This inspection graded each key judgement and gave no overall effectiveness grade.

Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Safeguarding
Met

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 June 2025

Often, attending New Horizons is the first time pupils say that they have really been able to enjoy school. Pupils feel accepted and understood. They know that the school expects them to work hard and achieve well, and they do. The school offers pupils the support they need to succeed. Crucially, they usually come to school more frequently than they have in the past. Everyone aims to embody the school's values of safe, kind, respectful and determined. This reflects the school's positive ethos and high expectations. The school takes great care to create an environment and atmosphere that help pupils settle. The school sensitively organises and paces the day in a way that is manageable for pupils. This makes effective use of times when pupils are best able to focus. The day ends with diverse opportunities to develop a talent or try something new, from kickboxing to hairdressing. Pupils feel safe and well cared for. Relationships between pupils and staff are strong. At lunchtime, they dine and play games together. Those who prefer a moment of quiet reflection sit on benches and enjoy the view. Older pupils show genuine kindness to their younger peers. Pupils say that staff are good at sorting out any social difficulties.

What the school should improve

  • Sometimes the topics within the school's 'explore' curriculum do not precisely identify the knowledge and skills that pupils should learn. Consequently, pupils' learning does not develop through these topics as well as it does across the rest of the curriculum. The trust should ensure that the curriculum specifies and builds pupils' knowledge and skills reliably in all areas.
  • Some pupils do not attend as well as they should. The school's ongoing focus on improving attendance has already brought about much improvement, but a significant proportion of pupils still miss too much valuable learning time. The school should persist with determination, keeping the effectiveness of its strategies under regular review so that pupils attend as often as they should.

Exam results

SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25

8 pupils took the tests

Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%

0%, 62 percentage points below the England average of 62%.

Higher standard in reading, writing and maths0%

0%, 8 percentage points below the England average of 8%.

Reading, average scaled score92

92, 14 below the England average of 106.

Maths, average scaled score86

86, 19 below the England average of 105.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling, average scaled score89

89, 16 below the England average of 105.

GCSE results (key stage 4), 2024/25

11 pupils in the year group

Attainment 8 score8.9

8.9, 37.2 below the England average of 46.1.

Grade 5 or above in English and maths0%

0%, 45.4 percentage points below the England average of 45.4%.

Grade 4 or above in English and maths0%

0%, 64.8 percentage points below the England average of 64.8%.

Pupils entering the EBacc0%

0%, 40.5 percentage points below the England average of 40.5%.

EBacc average point score0.41

0.41, 3.68 below the England average of 4.09.

Pupil numbers and mix

80 pupils on roll, with places for 166

Eligible for free school meals73.8%

73.8%, 47.3 percentage points above the England average of 26.5%.

English as an additional language0%

0%, 21.6 percentage points below the England average of 21.6%.

Special educational needs support0%

0%, 14.8 percentage points below the England average of 14.8%.

Education, health and care plan100%

100%, 94 percentage points above the England average of 6%.

Schools near New Horizons School (Part of the Sabden Multi Academy Trust)

SchoolDistanceOfstedResults
Saxon Mount School1 mileOfsted judgements: OutstandingAttainment 8: 8.9
The Flagship School2 milesReport card: Expected standardAttainment 8: 6.0
Torfield School2 milesOfsted: Outstanding0% met the expected standard
Glyne Gap School3 milesOfsted: Outstanding0% met the expected standard
ISP School3 milesOfsted: GoodAttainment 8: 14.8

School details

School type
Academy special converter
Sector
Academy
Trust
THE SABDEN MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
Age range
5 to 16
Gender
Mixed
Headteacher
Mr Ross Maryan
Address
Beauchamp Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, TN38 9JU
Local authority
East Sussex
URN
142151

School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.