Netherfield CofE Primary School

Netherfield CofE Primary School is a small, welcoming Church of England primary school that is meeting expected standards in every area inspected. Safeguarding requirements are met. Pupils are happy, feel safe and behave very well; they are keen learners, attendance is improving, and the school's values of kindness and respect are evident in daily life. The curriculum is ambitious, well organised and generally taught well, with strong early years provision and effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Inclusion is a particular strength, and disadvantaged pupils are now supported extremely well. Leaders and governors understand the school well and act in pupils' best interests. Staff value the professional development and support they receive, and pupils leave well prepared for secondary school. However, the school is not yet exceptional: leaders and governors do not monitor the quality and impact of curriculum and teaching precisely enough, and this can delay improvement. Teachers sometimes do not check pupils' understanding systematically, so some tasks are not well matched to individual learning needs. The school is also continuing to prioritise handwriting, and historical outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in reading, writing and mathematics have been below national averages, although current support is having a positive effect. The next steps for the school are to sharpen monitoring of curriculum and teaching, improve teachers' checking of understanding so tasks match pupils' needs, and continue the handwriting programme. Overall, this is a good school with a strong pastoral ethos and clear capacity to improve further.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, feel safe and love coming to this welcoming, nurturing school.
• The school's vision of 'love never fails' and its values of kindness and respect are deeply embedded.
• Pupils have highly positive attitudes to learning and behave extremely well in lessons.
• Attendance is improving because leaders prioritise it and work proactively with families.
• The curriculum is ambitious, well thought out and logically ordered.
• Reading and phonics are prioritised from the start of Reception, with a well-structured programme.
• Early years provision is strong, developing children's language, number, physical and social skills well.
• Inclusion is effective; pupils' individual needs and barriers are identified and supported successfully.
• Staff receive high-quality professional development and feel well supported by leaders.
• Governors have clear roles and responsibilities and carry out their duties effectively.
• Personal development is well planned, helping pupils become confident, respectful and articulate.
• Pupils are well prepared for secondary school and the next stage of education.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
• Disadvantaged pupils are now supported extremely well and achieve more successfully.

Areas for Improvement

• Leaders and governors need to strengthen monitoring of curriculum and teaching so improvement actions are more timely and impactful.
• Teachers do not always check pupils' understanding systematically, so some tasks are not well matched to individual learning needs.
• Handwriting requires continued prioritisation to ensure pupils' writing is as secure as possible.
• Disadvantaged pupils' historical attainment in reading, writing and mathematics has been below national averages, though current support is effective.
• A small number of pupils arrive late to school, and the school is working to address this.
• Governors' monitoring of the quality and impact of curriculum and teaching could be stronger.
• Leaders need to check the quality of curriculum and teaching with more precision to maximise impact.

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 Netherfield CofE Primary School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.1% 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, 0.8% of pupils at Netherfield 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 Netherfield CofE Primary School had 19.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.6% 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, 24.6% of pupils at Netherfield CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.4% 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 Netherfield CofE Primary School received £7,272 and spent £7,538 for each of its 126 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £75,000 (£595 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 Netherfield CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Netherfield CofE Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Netherfield CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Netherfield CofE Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Netherfield CofE Primary School have?

Netherfield CofE Primary School has 126 pupils on roll.

What age range does Netherfield CofE Primary School cover?

Netherfield CofE Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

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

In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Netherfield CofE Primary School?

Netherfield CofE Primary School is at Darvel Down, Netherfield, Battle, East Sussex, TN33 9QF.