Hassocks Infant School

Hassocks Infant School is performing very well overall, with inspectors finding strong practice in every area evaluated. Pupils are happy, attend regularly and behave exceptionally well. The curriculum is broad, logically sequenced and taught consistently well, so pupils achieve highly from their starting points, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children in Reception, including those who start with gaps, catch up rapidly, especially in communication, language and social and emotional development. Reading and phonics are particular strengths. Leadership and governance are a notable strength. Leaders and governors know their priorities, support staff well and use additional funding effectively. Inclusion is meticulous: staff identify barriers quickly and tailor provision so all pupils can access the curriculum. Personal development and wellbeing are also well supported, with pupils learning about health, emotions, online safety, respect and citizenship. Safeguarding standards are met. The school is a smaller-than-average infant school with lower-than-average proportions of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND compared with national figures. The only next step identified is for leaders and governors to continue refining curriculum implementation so that teaching can reach and sustain exceptional standards, especially for pupils with SEND. There are no areas of concern or underperformance flagged in the report.

Strengths

• Curriculum, teaching and environment are designed so all pupils achieve very well, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Children joining Reception with gaps catch up rapidly, particularly in communication and language and social and emotional development.
• Pupils develop high reading fluency, with strong phonics outcomes at the end of Year 1.
• Pupils enjoy learning and using new vocabulary, remember a great deal across subjects, and are very well prepared for key stage 2.
• Attendance is high because pupils love school and leaders work tenaciously with families and agencies to overcome barriers.
• Behaviour is exemplary, with positive policies, clear routines, and pupils who listen respectfully and cooperate kindly.
• The curriculum is broad, logically sequenced and taught consistently well, with expert subject knowledge and effective revisiting of prior content.
• Teaching adapts precisely for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils so they fully access the same learning as their peers.
• Early years provision is highly effective, with language and communication at its heart and children achieving tremendously well from all starting points.
• Inclusion is meticulous, with swift identification of barriers, tailored provision, strong external agency work and effective use of pupil premium.
• Leadership and governance are diligent and committed, with staff proud to work at the school and overwhelmingly positive about its ambitious vision.
• Personal development and wellbeing are well supported, including healthy relationships, emotional regulation, online safety, respect and active citizenship.
• The purposeful school environment and extracurricular opportunities nurture pupils talents, interests and inclusion.
• Safeguarding standards are met through an open and positive culture where concerns are actively identified and managed.

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 Hassocks Infant School attended 96.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 2.8% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Hassocks Infant 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 Hassocks Infant School had 24.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.4% 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, 5.6% of pupils at Hassocks Infant School 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 Hassocks Infant School received £6,361 and spent £6,306 for each of its 266 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £56,000 (£212 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 Hassocks · West Sussex local authority: places and applications

What is Hassocks Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hassocks Infant School is Strong standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Hassocks Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hassocks Infant School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Hassocks Infant School have?

Hassocks Infant School has 266 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hassocks Infant School cover?

Hassocks Infant School for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is Hassocks Infant School?

Hassocks Infant School is at Chancellors Park, Hassocks, West Sussex, BN6 8EY.