Hamsey Community Primary School

Hamsey Community Primary School is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating in its recent inspection. The school demonstrates notable strengths in promoting a positive learning environment where pupils feel safe, happy, and well-prepared for their future. The curriculum is ambitious and designed to nurture pupils' oracy skills from an early age, helping them to remember essential knowledge and skills. The school's emphasis on personal development has been highlighted as outstanding, with opportunities for creativity and emotional regulation being effectively integrated into the school ethos. However, there are some areas for improvement that the school is addressing. While teachers generally deliver lessons effectively, there are instances where learning is not explained as clearly as it could be, leading to some pupils not achieving their full potential. Additionally, the books provided for younger pupils do not always align closely with their phonics knowledge, affecting reading fluency. The school is working on these aspects to ensure consistency across the curriculum and enhance reading accuracy for all pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and supported in a caring environment.
• Teachers build warm relationships that foster learning.
• The curriculum is well-designed with a focus on oracy.
• Pupils with SEND achieve well due to effective support.
• Pupils exhibit high-quality work, especially in art.
• The school promotes a love of reading, starting in early years.
• Pupils have broad opportunities for personal development.
• Strong leadership and management with effective governance.

Areas for Improvement

• Reading books for younger pupils are not always appropriately matched to phonics knowledge.
• Learning is not consistently explained well in a small number of subjects.

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 Hamsey Community Primary School attended 93.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.9% 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, 1.1% of pupils at Hamsey Community 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 Hamsey Community Primary School had 18.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 57.1% 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, 39.4% of pupils at Hamsey Community Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.0% 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 2021–22 Hamsey Community Primary School received £6,309 and spent £6,550 for each of its 99 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £80,000 (£808 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 Lewes · East Sussex local authority: places and applications

What is Hamsey Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hamsey Community Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2024.

When was Hamsey Community Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hamsey Community Primary School was last inspected in September 2024.

How many pupils does Hamsey Community Primary School have?

Hamsey Community Primary School has 99 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hamsey Community Primary School cover?

Hamsey Community Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Hamsey Community Primary School?

Hamsey Community Primary School is at Cooksbridge, Lewes, East Sussex, BN8 4SJ.