Crowhurst CofE Primary School

Crowhurst CofE Primary School is a small, friendly Church of England school where pupils feel safe, behave well, and are part of a welcoming community. Safeguarding is effective. Many aspects of provision are secure: pupils achieve broadly in line with national averages, early reading is strong, early years children get a positive start, attendance is close to average, and leadership has a clear improvement focus after recent changes. Pupils' personal development is a priority, with wide enrichment, effective pastoral support, and positive relationships. The main areas for improvement are curriculum, teaching, and inclusion. Curriculum planning and sequencing are not yet consistent across subjects and year groups, so learning does not always build securely on prior knowledge. Teaching varies, misconceptions are not always spotted quickly, and support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils is not consistently precise or well matched to needs. Leaders recognise these issues and are taking action, but the work is not fully embedded. Next steps focus on consistently applying individual learning plans, improving curriculum sequencing, and ensuring high-quality teaching and targeted support for vulnerable pupils. The school is small, with a Church of England character and strong community links.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture and pupils feeling safe.
• Pupils behave well, work calmly, and treat each other with respect.
• Early years provision gives children a positive start, with strong phonics and early reading.
• Attendance is close to national averages, and persistent absence has reduced for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Leaders have renewed improvement focus, accurate self-evaluation, and effective governance.
• Personal development and wellbeing are prioritised through coherent programmes and pastoral support.
• A wide range of clubs, trips, and enrichment activities broadens pupils' experiences.
• Disadvantaged pupils are prioritised for enrichment, with high participation rates.
• Pupils develop confidence, resilience, and social responsibility through worship, performances, and fundraising.
• Staff feel valued and benefit from professional learning opportunities.
• Pupils' attainment in teacher-assessed writing is above national averages.
• Pupils are generally well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Areas for Improvement

• The curriculum is not yet consistently well planned and sequenced across subjects and year groups.
• Teaching varies, and misconceptions are not always identified quickly enough.
• Support for pupils with SEND and additional barriers is not consistently precise or matched to needs.
• The school's approach to inclusion is not fully developed or embedded.
• Individual learning plans for pupils with SEND are not consistently applied in class.
• Curriculum planning improvements are not yet fully embedded.
• Pupils' learning does not always build securely on what they already know.
• Some pupils struggle to apply what they have learned because their knowledge is less well developed.
• Understanding of British values is not equally secure across all year groups.
• Classroom support is not sharply focused on addressing pupils' academic barriers alongside their pastoral needs.

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 Crowhurst CofE Primary School attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.0% 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 Crowhurst CofE 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 Crowhurst CofE Primary School had 23.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.0% 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, 18.8% of pupils at Crowhurst CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.1% 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 Crowhurst CofE Primary School received £8,202 and spent £8,263 for each of its 96 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £27,000 (£280 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 Battle · East Sussex local authority: places and applications

What is Crowhurst CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Crowhurst CofE Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Crowhurst CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Crowhurst CofE Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Crowhurst CofE Primary School have?

Crowhurst CofE Primary School has 96 pupils on roll.

What age range does Crowhurst CofE Primary School cover?

Crowhurst CofE Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

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

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Crowhurst CofE Primary School?

Crowhurst CofE Primary School is at Forewood Lane, Crowhurst, Battle, East Sussex, TN33 9AJ.