Skip to content
Governance Register
Sign inFind yourself
Find yourselfSign in
Search How it works For organisations For professionals

Edition

United Kingdom (current)IrelandUnited StatesNew ZealandCanadaAustraliaScotlandNorthern Ireland
School · SpecialiSource and licenceOfficial record from Get Information about Schools (DfE). Results, attendance, pupil numbers, finance and inspection outcomes are from the Department for Education and Ofsted, as published.Governor records: Get Information about Schools, as at 25 October 2026.Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.Governance Register calculates the connections.How we handle data

The South Downs School

Academy special converter school in Eastbourne (East Sussex).

Pupils
164
on roll
Ofsted
Ungraded inspection
inspected Nov 2024
Attendance rate
90.1%
2024/25 academic year
Pupil : Teacher
10.6
2025/26
Eligible for free school meals
42.1%
school census 15/01/2026
SEN support
0.6%
2025/26
Capacity
102%
164 / 160 pupils
register figure (GIAS)
Teacher turnover
9.4%
2024/25

Location

iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).

About

iWritten by WhatSchool from official school data (Get Information about Schools, DfE and Ofsted).

The South Downs School is a special school located in Eastbourne, East Sussex. The school caters for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. The Executive Headteacher is Rachael Smart.

Awards

3 awardsiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.
  • Nurturing Schools AwardRecognised award
  • Quality in CareersRecognised award
  • UNICEF Rights Respecting SchoolsChildren's rights

Key facts

URN
142745
Type
Academy special converter
Phase
Not applicable
Ages
4 to 11
Gender
Mixed
Nursery
Has Nursery Classes
Local authority
East Sussex
Constituency
Eastbourne
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
2016

Governing body (3 current, 3 former)

iAcademy trust: local governing body and trust board.

2 governors are linked to a profile (all confirmed).

Governors marked “Confirmed same person” have exactly the same forename and surname as the only officer of that name at the school’s own academy trust company on the Companies House register, so we treat them as the same person. The governance record itself comes from DfE.

Leadership

NameRoleHow appointedTerm
Mrs Diane Aldridge Confirmed same personChair of Local Governing BodyAppointed by GB/boardsince 2026 · until 2030
Mrs Margaret Neal Confirmed same person FormerChair of Local Governing BodyAppointed by GB/boardsince 2020 · term ended 2026

Full governing body

NameRoleHow appointedTerm
Mrs Elizabeth GillamLocal GovernorAppointed by trusteessince 2025 · until 2029
Mrs Jessica ShepherdLocal GovernorParent appointed by GB/board due to no election candidatessince 2024 · until 2027 ends 2027
Mrs Terri Moroney FormerLocal GovernorAppointed by trusteessince 2025 · term ended 2026
Diane Aldridge Confirmed same person FormerLocal GovernorAppointed by foundation/Trustsince 2018 · term ended 2026

Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 25 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record