Rustington Community Primary School

Rustington Community Primary School is a good school across all key judgements, with pupils achieving well and typically well prepared for their next steps. Inspectors found a welcoming, inclusive and ambitious community where behaviour is positive, relationships are warm and pastoral support is exceptional. Safeguarding is excellent, attendance has been improved, and pupils benefit from a broad curriculum, strong reading and science provision, and a wide range of creative, sporting and leadership opportunities. The main area for improvement is the precision of lesson adaptations. While the curriculum is ambitious and teachers generally present information clearly, tasks are not always adapted effectively for all pupils, including those with SEND, so some do not secure key content as well as they could. Some pupils also need more encouragement to engage fully, although this does not disrupt learning. Early years provision, personal development and leadership are strong, with effective staff development and trust collaboration. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and it has grown from two- to three-form entry since the previous inspection. It is an academy converter within Schoolsworks Academy Trust; under the current framework no overall effectiveness grade is awarded.

Strengths

• Warm, inclusive and welcoming ethos where pupils feel valued and proud of their school
• High expectations and positive behaviour from early years through Year 6
• Exceptional pastoral support for pupils' mental health and emotional well-being
• Strong early years provision with engaging, well-resourced learning opportunities
• Effective phonics and reading provision that builds confidence, fluency and enjoyment
• Ambitious curriculum with precise knowledge and vocabulary, supported by strong subject knowledge
• Science is a particular strength, enriched by events such as stargazing
• Pupils with SEND progress well through the curriculum
• Improved mathematics provision helping pupils tackle advanced problem-solving challenges
• Excellent safeguarding work, including strong online and water safety awareness
• Wide range of clubs, sports, creative and leadership opportunities, including pupil parliament
• Extensive professional development and strong trust collaboration support a motivated staff team
• Effective support for attendance has reduced absence and ensured pupils attend well
• Trustees and governors provide valuable support and challenge

Areas for Improvement

• Lesson activities are not always adapted precisely enough for all pupils, including pupils with SEND.
• Some pupils do not secure key content securely across the whole curriculum as a result.
• Some pupils lack enthusiasm for learning and need more encouragement to engage fully and try their best.

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 Rustington Community Primary School attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.8% 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, 1.4% of pupils at Rustington Community 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 Rustington Community Primary School had 24.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.4% 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, 11.4% of pupils at Rustington Community Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.3% 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 Rustington Community Primary School received £5,798 and spent £5,759 for each of its 579 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £613,000 (£1,059 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Schoolsworks Academy Trust, income was £6,150 and spending £6,134 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 Littlehampton · West Sussex local authority: places and applications

Rustington Community Primary School is part of Schoolsworks Academy Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Summerlea Community Primary School Littlehampton
• River Beach Primary School Littlehampton
• East Preston Junior School Littlehampton
• Hawthorns Primary School Worthing
• Whytemead Primary School Worthing
• Downsbrook Primary School Worthing
• Edward Bryant School Bognor Regis
• Rose Green Junior School Bognor Regis
• Medmerry Primary School Chichester
• Westbourne Primary School Emsworth

What is Rustington Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Rustington Community Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Rustington Community Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Rustington Community Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Rustington Community Primary School have?

Rustington Community Primary School has 554 pupils on roll.

What age range does Rustington Community Primary School cover?

Rustington Community Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Rustington Community Primary School?

Rustington Community Primary School is at North Lane, Rustington, Littlehampton, West Sussex, BN16 3PW.