Funtington Primary School, Chichester
Funtington Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Chichester. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 17th-highest of the 23 schools in Chichester with published results, and 11,486th of 14,452 across England. It was 77% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to West Sussex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Funtington Primary School in detail
Funtington Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are a small and friendly learning community set in beautiful grounds at the foot of the South Downs National Park. Our caring ethos puts the children at the centre of all we do to ensure we support them to develop academically, socially and emotionally."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am and after-school care, from £5 per session.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils at Funtington Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 61% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 72% in West Sussex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 92% in reading and 77% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Funtington Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 22 families put Funtington Primary School as their first choice and 57 named it as one of their preferences, for 20 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 2 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Funtington Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Funtington Primary School are Chidham Parochial Primary School (1.7 miles, Good, 73% reading, 83% maths); Bosham Primary School (1.8 miles, Good, 84% reading, 81% maths); Fishbourne CofE Primary School (2.3 miles, 97% reading, 87% maths); and Southbourne Infant School (2.5 miles, Good).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Funtington Primary School.
Chidham Parochial Primary SchoolBosham Primary SchoolFishbourne CofE Primary SchoolSouthbourne Infant School
What parents say
45 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Funtington Primary School (as of September 2025): 98% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 85% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (85%).
Who goes there
14.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 33 pupils (28.4%) received SEN support and 3 (2.6%) 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.
Staffing
Funtington Primary School had 8 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bosham Rail Station, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Heather Close (adjacent), 230 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 14 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in West Sussex (103).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Funtington Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; 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 September 2013, 13 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's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils at Funtington flourish personally. The exceptional personal development programme brings out pupils' wonderful character attributes. The school acts as one family. Pupils see the good in others and are very accepting of those who may be different. The school's highly inclusive approach carefully supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to access all the school has to offer.
The school expects pupils to do their best. Pupils eagerly respond to this and love learning new things. The 'Funtington Footprints' guide their learning and behaviours. Caring pupils behave well in lessons and at playtimes. Children in the early years settle in confidently and follow routines quickly. Pupils know they are safe here.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Rapid and highly effective work has addressed previous shortfalls in the quality of education. The school redesigned its curriculum so that essential knowledge is carefully sequenced across all classes. A two-year cycle ensures that the school's curriculum remains ambitious for mixed-aged classes. Pupils achieve well as reflected in published outcomes. Nevertheless, some teachers have not checked pupils' understanding over time. This has led to some pupils with knowledge gaps in their learning and, therefore, hindered them from reaching higher standards.
Staff greatly appreciate the investment in their professional development. The school has focused on training staff to teach the curriculum in a consistent and effective way. Teachers explain new ideas clearly and they revisit important content that pupils need to remember. There is also a big push on pupils' vocabulary development in different subjects. However, the school can see that teachers are not always setting the right work and also not providing pupils with enough opportunities to extend and practise their writing skills. Where this happens, pupils do not learn as well as they could.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2013 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
14.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
45 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 92% to 72% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 77% to 61% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 77% to 67% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.2
Avg class size
18.3
Infant (KS1)
32.0
KS2
5
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Funtington Primary School
Term dates
Funtington Primary 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
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Funtington Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Funtington Primary 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)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
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 Funtington Primary School
Will you get a place at Funtington Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Funtington Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Funtington Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Funtington Primary School.
- West Sussex publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Funtington Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Funtington Primary 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
77%
Available places
108 pupils
140 places
32 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Chichester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Chichester
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(9)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
33
SEN Support
3
EHC Plans
31.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
116
Total Pupils
54
Boys
62
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
14.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,230
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,576
Per pupil
£771k
Total funding
£33k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.9%
Overall absence
28.1%
Persistent absence
96
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Funtington Primary School
What are SATs results like at Funtington Primary School?
Of the pupils at Funtington Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 72% reached the expected standard in reading and 61% did so in maths.
What is Funtington Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Funtington Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Funtington Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Funtington Primary 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 Funtington Primary School?
Funtington Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 77% of its 140 places.
How big are the classes at Funtington Primary School?
Classes at Funtington Primary School average 23.2 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Funtington Primary School?
Funtington Primary School has around 116 pupils on roll. 15% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Funtington Primary School?
6.9% of sessions were missed at Funtington Primary School in 2024/25. 28.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Funtington Primary School?
Apply through West Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Funtington Primary 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.
What are Funtington Primary School's term dates?
Funtington Primary 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 Funtington Primary School?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in West Sussex is 11 (the median across 337 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Funtington Primary School?
Funtington Primary School is at Heather Close, West Ashling, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 8DR.
Sources: West Sussex term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)