East Preston Infant School, Littlehampton
East Preston Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in Littlehampton. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2011. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2025 did not change this grade. It was 87% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2011)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to West Sussex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
East Preston Infant School in detail
East Preston Infant School in its own words
In its own words: "Our school was opened in May 1973, further re-modelled in 2003, and again in 2015."
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to East Preston Infant School! We are determined to be a first class school and we work very hard to give all of our pupils the best possible education every day. We pride ourselves on being fully inclusive and our 'Rights Respecting' ethos puts the children at the very heart of everything that we do."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, cricket, yoga, karate, dance and cooking.
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at East Preston Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 88 families put East Preston Infant School as their first choice and 173 named it as one of their preferences, for 90 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 2 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at East Preston Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to East Preston Infant School are East Preston Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 72% reading, 69% maths); Georgian Gardens Community Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 75% reading, 71% maths); St Wilfrids Catholic Primary School (1.3 miles, 70% reading, 74% maths); and Rustington Community Primary School (1.4 miles, Good, 74% reading, 70% maths).
East Preston Junior SchoolGeorgian Gardens Community Primary SchoolSt Wilfrids Catholic Primary SchoolRustington Community Primary School
What parents say
76 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about East Preston Infant School (as of September 2025): 88% would recommend the school, 92% say their child is happy there and 75% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (75%).
Who goes there
3.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 29 pupils (13%) received SEN support and 4 (1.8%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Angmering Rail Station, about 750 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Windlesham Gardens (opposite), 160 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
East Preston Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from March 2011, 15 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
East Preston Infant School excels at creating warm, positive relationships where every child feels valued and cared for. The school has an ambitious curriculum delivered by knowledgeable teachers, with particularly strong phonics teaching and excellent support for readers. Pupils develop impressive independence and resilience through the school's focus on learning behaviours and leadership opportunities like the eco council.
Key Strengths
- Well-designed, carefully sequenced curriculum with precise information about important vocabulary and knowledge
- Effective phonics teaching with well-trained staff and strong support for pupils who need additional help with reading
- Strong focus on developing pupil independence, resilience and leadership through 'learning crew' and eco council responsibilities
- Effective support for pupils with SEND enabling them to access the ambitious curriculum
- High expectations for behaviour and attendance with excellent support for families
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistency in how teachers check what pupils know before moving them on to new learning, meaning some pupils' work is not always adapted to their needs
- Errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar are not always effectively addressed, so some pupils continue making the same mistakes over time
- Need for more consistent opportunities for pupils to practise writing accurately across the curriculum
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with leaders creating a nurturing environment where pupils feel safe and know staff will help them with any worries.
Extracurricular Activities
Forest school, beach school, eco council, local care home visits, charity fundraising, 'get caught reading' events
East Preston Infant School is a welcoming learning community where pupils are enthusiastic about their learning and feel safe and cared for. The school has a well-designed curriculum with high expectations for achievement and behaviour.
At a Glance
3.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
76 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
26.8
Avg class size
26.8
Infant (KS1)
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from East Preston Infant School
FEPIS Pumpkin Disco Thursday 22nd October
25 Sep 2026
FEPIS Astra Recycling Bin
4 Sep 2026
School reopens to our Y1 and Y2 pupils on Wednesday 2nd September 2026
22 Jul 2026
Crazy Hair Day Wednesday 22nd July 2026
17 Jul 2026
Early Transition Morning Wednesday 1st July 2026
26 Jun 2026
FEPIS Colour Run Friday 19th June 2026 3.15-5.15pm
8 May 2026
From East Preston Infant School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with East Preston Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near East Preston Infant School.
- JC Sports Holiday Camp at East Preston Junior SchoolAt the school · Not yet graded
- East Preston Activity HubAt the school · Not yet graded
- The Hive Sussex960m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
East Preston Infant School is a community school, so its term dates are set by West Sussex. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to East Preston Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. East Preston Infant School is in West Sussex; for families living there:
Apply to West Sussex for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 10
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 5 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in West Sussex is 11 (the median across 337 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at East Preston Infant School
Will you get a place at East Preston Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against East Preston Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for East Preston Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to East Preston Infant School.
- West Sussex publishes last distance offered figures, but none for East Preston Infant School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at East Preston Infant School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in West Sussex got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
87%
Available places
236 pupils
270 places
34 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Littlehampton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Littlehampton
Across West Sussex council
Places available
9,608
Applications
8,127
Got 1st preference
92.4%
Got preferred school
99.2%
All primary applications across West Sussex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
29
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
14.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
223
Total Pupils
101
Boys
122
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
20.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,225
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,330
Per pupil
£1377k
Total funding
£17k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.1%
Overall absence
7.3%
Persistent absence
178
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
East Preston Infant School
Questions parents ask about East Preston Infant School
What is East Preston Infant School's Ofsted rating?
East Preston Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2011, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for East Preston Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When East Preston Infant School is oversubscribed, West Sussex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at East Preston Infant School?
East Preston Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 87% of its 270 places.
How big are the classes at East Preston Infant School?
Classes at East Preston Infant School average 26.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to East Preston Infant School?
East Preston Infant School has around 223 pupils on roll. 4% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at East Preston Infant School?
4.1% of sessions were missed at East Preston Infant School in 2024/25. 7.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to East Preston Infant School?
Apply through West Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming East Preston Infant School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does East Preston Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs at the school: JC Sports Holiday Camp at East Preston Junior School (registered, not yet graded) and East Preston Activity Hub (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are East Preston Infant School's term dates?
East Preston Infant School is a community school, so its term dates are set by West Sussex. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027).
How many road collisions happen near East Preston Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 5 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in West Sussex is 11 (the median across 337 schools, same distance and years).
Where is East Preston Infant School?
East Preston Infant School is at Lashmar Road, East Preston, Littlehampton, West Sussex, BN16 1EZ.
Sources: West Sussex term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)