Hilltop Primary School

Hilltop Primary School continues to maintain its 'good' rating following an ungraded inspection. The evidence suggests that, were a graded inspection to occur now, the school could potentially achieve an 'outstanding' rating. The school is part of The Kemnal Academies Trust and has been under the leadership of co-headteachers Abby McNiven and Ross Farndon since 2021. Pupils at Hilltop are proud of their school, which offers a vibrant learning environment and extensive support for students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.

Strengths

• Vibrant and welcoming school environment.
• High expectations from staff lead to exceptional pupil achievement.
• Well-resourced and engaging curriculum with a strong focus on reading.
• Extensive support for pupils with SEND, resulting in their excellent progress.
• Strong emphasis on personal development and life skills.
• Positive behaviour and mutual respect among pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Local governance lacks sufficient knowledge to support school leaders effectively.

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 Hilltop Primary School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.3% 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, 0.6% of pupils at Hilltop 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 Hilltop Primary School had 23.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.3% 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, 17.3% of pupils at Hilltop Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.3% 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 2024–25 Hilltop Primary School received £6,217 and spent £6,413 for each of its 633 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £284,000 (£449 per pupil).

Across all 45 schools of The Kemnal Academies Trust, income was £8,501 and spending £8,452 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Crawley · West Sussex local authority: places and applications

Hilltop Primary School is part of The Kemnal Academies Trust, which runs 45 schools. The nearest others:

• Broadfield Primary Academy Crawley
• Thomas Bennett Community College Crawley
• Seymour Primary School Crawley
• The Oaks Primary School & Nursery Crawley
• The Bewbush Academy Crawley
• The Mill Primary Academy Crawley
• Weyfield Primary Academy Guildford
• Gray's Farm Primary Academy Orpington
• Kemnal Technology College Sidcup
• Orchards Academy Swanley

What is Hilltop Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hilltop Primary School is Good, from an inspection in April 2024.

When was Hilltop Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hilltop Primary School was last inspected in April 2024.

How many pupils does Hilltop Primary School have?

Hilltop Primary School has 658 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hilltop Primary School cover?

Hilltop Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Hilltop Primary School?

Hilltop Primary School is at Ditchling Hill, Southgate West, Crawley, West Sussex, RH11 8QL.