Ashdown Primary School

Ashdown Primary School continues to perform well and maintains its status as a good school. The leadership has implemented a broad and ambitious curriculum that supports pupils in achieving well from early years through to Year 6. Staff are particularly adept at fostering an inclusive environment, celebrating diversity, and supporting all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The school emphasizes a strong physical education program, contributes to developing pupils’ character, and maintains a positive school culture where behavior is consistently good. However, there are areas for improvement, particularly in the teaching of mathematics, where pupils are not as fluent as they should be. Leaders have recognized this shortcoming and are taking steps to enhance teaching strategies. Despite some concerns regarding mathematics, the overall learning environment at Ashdown Primary is conducive to student success, and the school community remains dedicated to fostering pupil engagement and development, including structured support for parents to further boost student learning.

Strengths

• Broad and ambitious curriculum offering
• Inclusive environment celebrating diversity
• Strong physical education program
• Effective teaching of reading and phonics
• High expectations for pupil achievement
• Positive behavior maintained throughout the school
• Strong support systems for all pupils including SEND
• Engagement of pupils in leadership roles and community activities

Areas for Improvement

• Mathematics teaching needs refinement to improve fluency

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Ashdown Primary School attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 2.0% of pupils at Ashdown Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Ashdown Primary School had 23.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.7% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 10.3% of pupils at Ashdown Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Ashdown Primary School received £6,554 and spent £6,498 for each of its 407 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £159,000 (£390 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Crowborough · East Sussex local authority: places and applications

What is Ashdown Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ashdown Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2024.

When was Ashdown Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ashdown Primary School was last inspected in January 2024.

How many pupils does Ashdown Primary School have?

Ashdown Primary School has 407 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ashdown Primary School cover?

Ashdown Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Ashdown Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Ashdown Primary School?

Ashdown Primary School is at Luxford Road, Crowborough, East Sussex, TN6 2HW.