Forest Row Church of England Primary School and Nursery

Forest Row Church of England Primary School delivers a good quality of education and has an outstanding leadership and management team. Pupils enjoy a sense of belonging and are engaged in a broad curriculum enriched with extracurricular activities. The approach to individual pupil support is commendable, particularly for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Despite notable strengths in teaching, especially in reading and sports, there are challenges in regular school attendance for some pupils, affecting their overall learning experience. The school has undergone significant changes since its last inspection, ensuring parents feel involved and supported in their children's education.

Strengths

• Strong sense of belonging among pupils
• Highly inclusive ethos treating every pupil as an individual
• Ambitious expectations for academic and personal success
• Excellent sports provision with high-quality coaching
• Effective behaviour management leading to rare disruptions
• Exceptional leadership driving sustained change
• Positive relationships between staff and pupils
• Rich vocabulary development and environmental support in early years
• Engaging curriculum with positive extracurricular opportunities

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils are not attending school regularly enough, affecting their learning
• A small number of pupils require more precise support to achieve well across all 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 Forest Row Church of England Primary School and Nursery attended 91.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 23.3% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Forest Row Church of England Primary School and Nursery 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 Forest Row Church of England Primary School and Nursery had 19.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 14.6% of pupils at Forest Row Church of England Primary School and Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.0% 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 2025–26 Forest Row Church of England Primary School and Nursery received £7,124 and spent £6,352 for each of its 199 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £123,000 (£620 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 Wealden · East Sussex local authority: places and applications

What is Forest Row Church of England Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Forest Row Church of England Primary School and Nursery is Good, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was Forest Row Church of England Primary School and Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Forest Row Church of England Primary School and Nursery was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does Forest Row Church of England Primary School and Nursery have?

Forest Row Church of England Primary School and Nursery has 199 pupils on roll.

What age range does Forest Row Church of England Primary School and Nursery cover?

Forest Row Church of England Primary School and Nursery for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Forest Row Church of England Primary School and Nursery's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 50% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Forest Row Church of England Primary School and Nursery?

Forest Row Church of England Primary School and Nursery is at Forest Row CE Primary School, School Lane, Hartfield Road, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5EB.