English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing

English Martyrs Catholic Primary School has shown significant improvement since its previous inspection, moving from requiring improvement to being rated as good overall. The school fosters a positive environment where each pupil feels valued and supported, with strong pastoral care and high expectations from leaders. Pupils enjoy a well-structured curriculum that is ambitious and inclusive, allowing them to excel particularly in reading, mathematics, and physical education. Despite some effective practices, the school faces challenges in ensuring the consistent implementation of the curriculum across all subjects, which affects some pupils' learning experiences.

Strengths

• Pupils feel unique and special, fostering a caring school environment.
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Good subject knowledge among teachers, effectively engaging pupils.
• High standards of physical education and mathematics, with pupils actively participating in competitions.
• Excellent early years provision supporting children's independence and learning.
• Strong pastoral care, reflected in high levels of pupil well-being.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent implementation of the curriculum across subjects.
• Assessment practices are less effective in foundation subjects.
• Communication regarding behaviour management lacks clarity for parents and staff.

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 English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.6% 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, 2.2% of pupils at English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing 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 English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing had 21.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.7% 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, 17.6% of pupils at English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.2% 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 English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing received £6,625 and spent £6,295 for each of its 188 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £22,000 (£117 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 Worthing · West Sussex local authority: places and applications

What is English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing last inspected by Ofsted?

English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing have?

English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing has 187 pupils on roll.

What age range does English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing cover?

English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 47% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing?

English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing is at Derwent Drive, Goring-by-Sea, Worthing, West Sussex, BN12 6LA.