Hilltop Primary School, Crawley
Hilltop Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Crawley, part of The Kemnal Academies Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 3rd-highest of the 23 schools in Crawley with published results, and 2,822nd of 14,452 across England. It was 96% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Hilltop Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 87% of Year 6 pupils at Hilltop Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 86% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 72% in West Sussex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 78% in reading and 79% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Hilltop Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 79 families put Hilltop Primary School as their first choice and 161 named it as one of their preferences, for 85 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 Hilltop Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Hilltop Primary School are Southgate Primary (0.2 miles, Good, 58% reading, 72% maths); Broadfield Primary Academy (0.5 miles, Good, 86% reading, 84% maths); St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, Crawley (0.6 miles, Good, 80% reading, 79% maths); and Desmond Anderson Primary Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 72% reading, 68% maths).
Hilltop Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Southgate PrimaryBroadfield Primary AcademySt Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, CrawleyDesmond Anderson Primary Academy
The trust
Hilltop Primary School is one of 45 schools run by The Kemnal Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
26.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (48%), Asian (23%) and Mixed (10%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Crawley Rail Station, about 910 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Downland Place (adjacent), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 576 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in West Sussex (103), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Hilltop Primary School issued 8 suspensions, 1.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Hilltop Primary School are St Wilfrid's Catholic Comprehensive School, Crawley (0.5 miles); Thomas Bennett Community College (0.5 miles); Holy Trinity CofE Secondary School, Crawley (0.6 miles); and Ifield Community College (1 mile).
St Wilfrid's Catholic Comprehensive School, CrawleyThomas Bennett Community CollegeHoly Trinity CofE Secondary School, CrawleyIfield Community College
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from June 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2014 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
26.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 78% to 87% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 79% to 86% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 82% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.0
Avg class size
29.4
Infant (KS1)
28.8
KS2
21
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 Hilltop Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Hilltop Primary School.
- Junior Adventures Group @ Desmond Anderson930m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Hilltop Primary School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see West Sussex's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Hilltop Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Hilltop 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)
- Collisions
- 19
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 15 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 on a bicycle.
4 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 Hilltop Primary School
Will you get a place at Hilltop Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Hilltop Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Hilltop Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Hilltop Primary School.
- West Sussex publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Hilltop Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Hilltop 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
96%
Near capacity
604 pupils
630 places
26 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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
114
SEN Support
22
EHC Plans
20.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
658
Total Pupils
343
Boys
315
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
36
Teachers
18.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,557
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,336
Per pupil
£3613k
Total funding
£233k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.4%
Overall absence
11.3%
Persistent absence
538
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
Questions parents ask about Hilltop Primary School
What are SATs results like at Hilltop Primary School?
Of the pupils at Hilltop Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 87% reached the expected standard in reading and 86% did so in maths.
What is Hilltop Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Hilltop Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Hilltop Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Hilltop 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 Hilltop Primary School?
Hilltop Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Hilltop Primary School?
Classes at Hilltop 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 Hilltop Primary School?
Hilltop Primary School has around 658 pupils on roll. 26% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Hilltop Primary School?
5.4% of sessions were missed at Hilltop Primary School in 2024/25. 11.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Hilltop Primary School?
Apply through West Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Hilltop 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 Hilltop Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Hilltop Primary School: Junior Adventures Group @ Desmond Anderson (930m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Hilltop Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 15 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 on a bicycle. 4 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 Hilltop Primary School?
Hilltop Primary School is at Ditchling Hill, Southgate West, Crawley, West Sussex, RH11 8QL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)