Firle Church of England Primary School

Firle Church of England Primary School is a small, federated church primary where pupils are very happy, feel known individually and benefit from a strong culture of nurture and care. Behaviour is extremely well developed, personal development is a clear strength, and the school is inclusive and welcoming, including for pupils with SEND. Pupils enjoy reading, perform regularly and access a broad enriched curriculum; mathematics is a particular strength, with most pupils achieving well. Safeguarding is effective. However, academic achievement is not strong enough for too many pupils. The teaching of early reading and phonics is not consistently expert or accurate, which particularly affects pupils with SEND and those who find reading difficult; writing, including handwriting and sentence formation, is also underdeveloped. The early years curriculum has been redeveloped and is beginning to have a positive impact, but staff still need further support to teach it consistently well. Leadership oversight of the quality of education is not sharp enough, weaknesses are not always identified or addressed, and governors have not held the school fully to account. Staff feel well supported personally, but do not consistently receive the development they need. This was a graded inspection, so no overall effectiveness grade was given. The school remains a small primary federated with one other school and had previously been judged to require improvement.

Strengths

• Pupils are very happy and feel individually known by staff
• Strong culture of nurture and care across the school
• Pupils behave extremely well and are polite and engaged
• Personal development provision is a strength
• School is inclusive and welcoming, including for pupils with SEND
• Pupils develop confidence and have regular opportunities to perform
• Positive reading culture begins in Reception
• Well-organised, ambitious curriculums have been introduced in other subjects
• Mathematics provision is strong, with most pupils achieving well
• Teachers generally have good subject knowledge and teach with enthusiasm
• Curriculum is enriched by a wide range of trips and visits
• Comprehensive personal, social and health education
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Staff feel well supported and well-being is a high priority
• Governors are supportive and ask challenging questions

Areas for Improvement

• Too many pupils still do not achieve well enough academically
• Teaching of early reading and phonics is not consistently accurate or effective
• Some staff delivering phonics lack the expertise they need
• Some pupils develop misconceptions, do not read frequently enough and fall behind
• Pupils with SEND and struggling readers are particularly affected
• Some pupils depend on adult support and struggle to complete tasks independently
• Writing curriculum does not support younger pupils well enough
• No consistent approach to letter formation, handwriting and sentence construction
• Teachers do not consistently adapt the curriculum for pupils with SEND
• Pupils are sometimes moved too quickly onto tasks before securing foundations
• Assessment information does not consistently inform teaching, so gaps are not remedied
• Early years staff need further support to strengthen subject knowledge and effective teaching
• Leadership oversight of the quality of education is not sharp enough
• Governors have not held the school fully to account for the quality of education
• Staff do not consistently get the support they need to develop their expertise
• Some pupils do not progress through the wider curriculum as quickly as they should

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 Firle Church of England Primary School attended 91.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 26.8% 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 Firle Church of England 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 Firle Church of England Primary School had 13.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 73.7% 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, 24.5% of pupils at Firle Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% 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 Firle Church of England Primary School received £11,198 and spent £11,250 for each of its 53 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £65,000 (£1,226 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).

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All schools in Lewes · East Sussex local authority: places and applications

What is Firle Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Firle Church of England Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Firle Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Firle Church of England Primary School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Firle Church of England Primary School have?

Firle Church of England Primary School has 53 pupils on roll.

What age range does Firle Church of England Primary School cover?

Firle Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Firle Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 14% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Firle Church of England Primary School?

Firle Church of England Primary School is at The Street, Firle, Lewes, East Sussex, BN8 6LF.