Western Road Community Primary School

Western Road Community Primary School is a happy, welcoming school where pupils feel safe and are positive about their learning. Inspectors found the school performing well across the board, with an ambitious and thoughtfully sequenced curriculum, strong reading and phonics provision, effective support for pupils with SEND, and a vibrant early years setting. Pupils behave well, benefit from a wide range of enrichment and community links, and are supported by clear leadership and governance. Safeguarding is effective. The main areas for development are in curriculum implementation and personal development. In some subjects, pupils do not yet get enough chances to apply and practise what they have learned, and assessment checks for long-term recall are still being strengthened. The school also acknowledges that pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values, protected characteristics and some faiths and cultures is uneven, so not all are as well prepared for life in modern Britain as intended. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and it remains part of The Lewes Co-operative Learning Partnership. Leaders recognise the identified weaknesses and have improvement plans in place.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, feel safe and describe the school as kind and welcoming
• Broad, ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum
• Strong reading and phonics provision with effective catch-up support
• Quick identification of SEND and appropriate adaptations and training
• Vibrant early years provision with engaging themes and linked activities
• Positive behaviour and a calm, focused learning environment
• Wide enrichment, clubs, outdoor learning and community links
• Pupils’ contributions are valued through the school council
• Leaders and governors share a clear vision and check impact effectively
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, pupils have too few opportunities to apply knowledge and practise skills
• Checks on whether pupils remember prior learning are not yet fully developed in all subjects
• Personal development offer is inconsistent in developing age-appropriate knowledge of fundamental British values and protected characteristics
• Pupils’ knowledge of other faiths and cultures does not always prepare them well for life in modern Britain

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 Western Road Community Primary School attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.6% 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, 1.9% of pupils at Western Road 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 Western Road Community Primary School had 23.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.3% 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, 10.7% of pupils at Western Road Community Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.8% 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 Western Road Community Primary School received £6,098 and spent £6,030 for each of its 214 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £45,000 (£210 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

Western Road Community Primary School is part of The Lewes Co-Operative Learning Partnership, which runs 2 schools. The nearest others:

• Priory School Lewes

What is Western Road Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Western Road Community Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Western Road Community Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Western Road Community Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Western Road Community Primary School have?

Western Road Community Primary School has 214 pupils on roll.

What age range does Western Road Community Primary School cover?

Western Road Community Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Western Road 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 Western Road Community Primary School?

Western Road Community Primary School is at Southover High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 1JB.