Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School, Hailsham
Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Hailsham. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 102nd-highest of the 132 schools in East Sussex with published results, and 11,625th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to East Sussex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils at Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 61% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 72% in East Sussex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 85% in reading and 82% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 26 families put Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 61 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School are Thornton Grove Academy (3 miles); Hawkes Farm Academy (3.1 miles, Good, 79% reading, 76% maths); White House Academy (3.2 miles, Good, 68% reading, 86% maths); and Hellingly Community Primary School (3.6 miles).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School.
Thornton Grove AcademyHawkes Farm AcademyWhite House AcademyHellingly Community Primary School
Who goes there
1.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 36 pupils (17.7%) received SEN support and 3 (1.5%) 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
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Brewers Arms (adjacent), 20 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 9 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in East Sussex (65).
Suspensions and exclusions
Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from March 2017, 9 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2017 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
17.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 85% to 71% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 82% to 61% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 79% to 68% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.0
Avg class size
26.3
Infant (KS1)
31.0
KS2
7
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School.
- Bright Sparks at Herstmonceux Primary SchoolAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by East Sussex. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School is in East Sussex; for families living there:
Apply to East 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
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 East Sussex is 8 (the median across 221 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 Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School
Will you get a place at Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from East Sussex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in East 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
99%
Near capacity
202 pupils
205 places
3 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Hailsham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Hailsham
Across East Sussex council
Places available
5,501
Applications
4,559
Got 1st preference
91.1%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All primary applications across East Sussex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
36
SEN Support
3
EHC Plans
19.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
203
Total Pupils
97
Boys
106
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
18.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,554
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,245
Per pupil
£1193k
Total funding
£48k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.3%
Overall absence
15.8%
Persistent absence
183
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School
What are SATs results like at Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School?
Of the pupils at Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 71% reached the expected standard in reading and 61% did so in maths.
What is Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School is oversubscribed, East Sussex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School?
Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School?
Classes at Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School average 29 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School?
Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School has around 203 pupils on roll. 17% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School?
5.3% of sessions were missed at Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 15.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School?
Apply through East Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Herstmonceux Church of England 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.
Does Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Bright Sparks at Herstmonceux Primary School (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School's term dates?
Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by East Sussex. In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 East Sussex is 8 (the median across 221 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School?
Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School is at Hailsham Road, Herstmonceux, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 4LG.
Sources: East Sussex term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)