Fairway Infant School, Copthorne, Crawley
Fairway Infant School, Copthorne is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in Crawley. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2016. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. For 2026 entry it had 1.3 first-choice applications for every place. It was 97% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2016)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below 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
Fairway Infant School, Copthorne in detail
Getting a place at Fairway Infant School, Copthorne
For September 2026 entry, 77 families put Fairway Infant School, Copthorne as their first choice and 130 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 19 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Fairway Infant School, Copthorne
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Fairway Infant School, Copthorne are Copthorne CofE Junior School (0.2 miles, Good, 77% reading, 71% maths); Forge Wood Primary School (1.5 miles, Outstanding, 66% reading, 63% maths); Milton Mount Primary School (1.8 miles, 79% reading, 75% maths); and Pound Hill Infant Academy (1.9 miles, Outstanding).
Copthorne CofE Junior SchoolForge Wood Primary SchoolMilton Mount Primary SchoolPound Hill Infant Academy
What parents say
73 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Fairway Infant School, Copthorne (as of September 2025): 93% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 79% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (79%).
Who goes there
5.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (78%) and Mixed (5%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Three Bridges Rail Station, about 2.2 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is New Town (opposite), 280 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 36 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in West Sussex (103).
Suspensions and exclusions
Fairway Infant School, Copthorne 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); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from February 2016, 10 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Fairway Infant School creates a welcoming, calm environment where every child feels valued and belongs. The school excels at teaching reading through expert phonics instruction and provides outstanding support for pupils with additional needs. Staff build warm, trusting relationships with children and families, helping all pupils to behave well, work hard and enjoy learning.
Key Strengths
- Strong phonics teaching and reading programme that helps children become confident, fluent readers
- Highly effective support for pupils with SEND, enabling them to progress successfully
- Well-designed and sequenced curriculum from Reception to Year 2 that builds secure foundations for learning
- Positive school culture where pupils behave well, show kindness and take on leadership responsibilities
- Careful transition arrangements for new Reception children that reduce anxiety and build enthusiasm
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers do not always check precisely enough what pupils know and understand, meaning some pupils are not learning as much as they could
- Pupil absence rates remain significantly higher than in similar schools, despite school efforts to improve attendance
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with leaders creating a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Fairway Infant School has maintained good standards since its previous inspection. The school places community, achievement and belonging at its heart, with warm relationships between staff and pupils and high expectations for all learners.
At a Glance
5.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
73 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
28.5
Avg class size
28.5
Infant (KS1)
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Fairway Infant School, Copthorne
Newsletter 22nd May 2026
22 May 2026
Newsletter 19th December 2025
19 Dec 2025
Newsletter 27th November 2025
27 Nov 2025
Newsletter 24th October 25
24 Oct 2025
Newsletter 19th September 2025
19 Sep 2025
Newsletter 18th July 2025 compressed
18 Jul 2025
From Fairway Infant School, Copthorne's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Fairway Infant School, Copthorne
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Fairway Infant School, Copthorne.
- Camp Glide at FairwayAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Fairway Infant School, Copthorne 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
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Fairway Infant School, Copthorne from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Fairway Infant School, Copthorne 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
- 18
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 16 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
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 Fairway Infant School, Copthorne
Will you get a place at Fairway Infant School, Copthorne? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Fairway Infant School, Copthorne's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Fairway Infant School, Copthorne:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Fairway Infant School, Copthorne.
- West Sussex publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Fairway Infant School, Copthorne that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Fairway Infant School, Copthorne 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
97%
Near capacity
172 pupils
177 places
5 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Crawley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Crawley
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(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
22
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
16.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
171
Total Pupils
93
Boys
78
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
17.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,381
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,422
Per pupil
£1060k
Total funding
£23k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.5%
Overall absence
22.1%
Persistent absence
122
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Fairway Infant School, Copthorne
What is Fairway Infant School, Copthorne's Ofsted rating?
Fairway Infant School, Copthorne's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2016, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Fairway Infant School, Copthorne?
No fixed boundary. When Fairway Infant School, Copthorne 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 Fairway Infant School, Copthorne?
Fairway Infant School, Copthorne was close to full in 2025, at 97% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Fairway Infant School, Copthorne?
Classes at Fairway Infant School, Copthorne average 28.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Fairway Infant School, Copthorne?
Fairway Infant School, Copthorne has around 171 pupils on roll. 6% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Fairway Infant School, Copthorne?
7.5% of sessions were missed at Fairway Infant School, Copthorne in 2024/25. 22.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Fairway Infant School, Copthorne?
Apply through West Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Fairway Infant School, Copthorne 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 Fairway Infant School, Copthorne have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Camp Glide at Fairway (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Fairway Infant School, Copthorne's term dates?
Fairway Infant School, Copthorne 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 Fairway Infant School, Copthorne?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 16 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 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 Fairway Infant School, Copthorne?
Fairway Infant School, Copthorne is at Fairway, Copthorne, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 3QD.
Sources: West Sussex term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)