Test scores shouldn’t be the only determining factor when picking out a primary school, but they can be an important sign that a school can help start your child’s educational journey on the right foot.
The wider Sussex region is home to a host of excellent state-funded primary schools, each with their own pros and cons. But for local families, comparing one to the other when tossing up what might work best for their child is no easy task
To help, we’ve created a league table ranking state primary schools across East and West Sussex, as well as Brighton and Hove. They are ranked by the percentage of their pupils who completed the national curriculum’s key stage 2 in the last school year, and met the government’s expected standards for reading, writing and maths. We’ve selected only schools which surpassed both the national and local authority area’s averages - those with the very highest scores.
All schools on the list also had an overall Ofsted rating of ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ before this measure was dropped this month, meaning the quality of education provided, student behaviour and attitudes, school leadership and management, and student safeguarding have all been found to either meet or exceed government standards.
This has given many smaller village and community schools the chance to shine. But equally, larger schools in centres like Crawley and Brighton - with many more students to get past the goal posts - have managed to excel.
Here are the 23 Sussex schools that came out on top:
1. St Augustine's Church of England Primary School
Taking out the top spot is St Augustine’s, an Anglican primary school in the village of Scaynes Hill, near Haywards Heath in West Sussex. It was formerly rated ‘good’ by Ofsted, and has a little under 100 pupils on its roll. In 2023, 100% of its pupils met the expected standards in reading, writing and maths, compared to 56% locally and 60% nationally. | Google
2. Heron Way Primary School
The larger Heron Way Primary School, in Horsham, West Sussex, has secured the second highest spot. It had 412 young students in the last school year, and was formerly rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. In 2023, 96% of its pupils met the expected standards in reading, writing and maths, compared to 56% locally and 60% nationally. | Google
3. St Peter and St Paul Church of England Primary School
St Peter and St Paul is an Anglican primary school in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, with about 416 students. It was formerly rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. In 2023, 90% of its pupils met the expected standards in reading, writing and maths, compared to 56% locally and 60% nationally. | Google
4. Hurst Green Church of England Primary School and Nursery
This is a smaller, Anglican primary and nursery school in the village of Hurst Green, East Sussex, with about 132 pupils on its roll. It was formerly rated ‘good’ by Ofsted. In 2023, 86% of its pupils met the expected standards in reading, writing and maths, compared to 56% locally and 60% nationally. | Google