Orchards Junior School

Orchards Junior School remains a good educational establishment with a strong focus on inclusivity and extra-curricular opportunities that foster the creativity and confidence of its pupils. The headteacher and the Sparkle Multi-Academy Trust oversee a dedicated teaching staff who ensure that pupils receive a rich educational experience, including extended learning through various clubs and trips. The school has successfully created a nurturing environment, helping pupils to thrive both academically and personally, with commendable efforts noted in enhancing students' cultural experiences and personal development.

Strengths

• Inclusive environment supporting all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Rich variety of clubs and cultural experiences enhancing pupil engagement.
• Meticulously designed curriculum that connects knowledge across subjects.
• Strong emphasis on personal development and citizenship among pupils.
• High expectations for pupil behavior leading to a positive school atmosphere.
• Effective staff development and strong community support.

Areas for Improvement

• Reading support for early readers is not fully effective.
• Inadequate intervention when pupil attendance declines.

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 Orchards Junior School attended 93.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.4% 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, 0.8% of pupils at Orchards Junior 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 Orchards Junior School had 19.1 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, 37.3% of pupils at Orchards Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 9.7% 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 2024–25 Orchards Junior School received £6,694 and spent £7,059 for each of its 477 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £318,000 (£667 per pupil).

Across all 2 schools of Sparkle Multi-Academy Trust, income was £6,581 and spending £7,071 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 Worthing · West Sussex local authority: places and applications

Orchards Junior School is part of Sparkle Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 2 schools. The nearest others:

• Orchards Infant School Worthing

What is Orchards Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Orchards Junior School is Good, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was Orchards Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Orchards Junior School was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does Orchards Junior School have?

Orchards Junior School has 496 pupils on roll.

What age range does Orchards Junior School cover?

Orchards Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Orchards Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Orchards Junior School?

Orchards Junior School is at Nelson Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN12 6EN.