Slindon CofE Primary School

Slindon C of E Primary School is a small, inclusive church primary school that continues to be rated good across all four key judgements. Inspectors found a warm, calm and orderly school where pupils feel safe, build strong relationships with nurturing staff, and speak enthusiastically about loving their school. Behaviour is consistently strong, pupils are kind and reflective, and they learn to care for one another and their wider community. Reading is taught systematically from the start, with well-ordered phonics and effective support for pupils who need extra help, and a broad programme of trips, clubs and residentials enriches pupils' wider development. The school has weathered significant recent change, including a largely new staff team, but leaders have maintained an unwavering commitment to a high-quality curriculum and have built strong training partnerships with local schools, the diocese and the local authority. Governors are active in checking provision, and many parents say they feel part of the school family. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The main areas for improvement concern how well learning is adapted for all pupils. Staff do not always have the expertise to make the curriculum accessible for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, so some do not learn as well as they could. In some subjects the curriculum is still being refined, and teaching does not consistently identify and close gaps in pupils' knowledge before moving on, which limits how well some pupils connect and remember their learning. This was the school's first routine inspection since the pandemic, and under the current framework no overall effectiveness grade was awarded.

Strengths

• A warm, inclusive school culture with strong, nurturing relationships between staff and pupils
• Pupils feel safe and benefit from clear, consistent routines and a calm, orderly environment
• Pupils are kind, polite and reflective about their emotions and the impact of their behaviour
• Reading is taught systematically from the start, with ordered phonics and targeted support for those who need it
• In most subjects the curriculum identifies the important knowledge and skills pupils need, with a clear focus on subject-specific vocabulary
• A wide range of trips, visits, clubs and residentials enriches pupils' learning and wider development
• Pupils develop strong morals, respect differences and are purposefully prepared for life ahead
• Strong partnerships with local schools, the diocese and the local authority secure high-quality staff training
• Governors regularly visit and check that pupils receive the education they need
• Effective, sensitive support removes barriers to attendance and helps pupils manage their feelings and behaviour
• Parents and carers speak positively about recent changes and feel part of the school family
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching is not consistently adapted to meet the individual needs of pupils with SEND, so some do not access the curriculum as well as they could
• Staff do not always have the expertise to make learning accessible for pupils with SEND
• Learning is not always adapted to identify and close gaps in pupils' knowledge and skills
• In some subjects the curriculum is still being refined and does not consistently build on prior learning, so pupils move on before they are sufficiently knowledgeable
• Some pupils struggle to make connections between ideas and remember their learning as a result of curriculum weaknesses
• Many staff are very new to the school, creating a challenge for maintaining consistent curriculum quality

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 Slindon CofE Primary School attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.3% 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, 1.3% of pupils at Slindon 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 Slindon CofE Primary School had 19.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.7% 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, 7.9% of pupils at Slindon CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.7% 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 Slindon CofE Primary School received £7,664 and spent £7,854 for each of its 89 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £83,000 (£931 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 Arundel · West Sussex local authority: places and applications

What is Slindon CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Slindon CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Slindon CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Slindon CofE Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Slindon CofE Primary School have?

Slindon CofE Primary School has 89 pupils on roll.

What age range does Slindon CofE Primary School cover?

Slindon CofE Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 38% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Slindon CofE Primary School?

Slindon CofE Primary School is at Meadsway, Slindon, Arundel, West Sussex, BN18 0QU.