Orchards Infant School, Worthing
Orchards Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Worthing, part of Sparkle Multi-Academy Trust. It was 68% full in 2025.
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- 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
Orchards Infant School in detail
Getting a place at Orchards Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 64 families put Orchards Infant School as their first choice and 157 named it as one of their preferences, for 67 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 Orchards Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Orchards Infant School are Orchards Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 75% reading, 74% maths); English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing (0.3 miles, Good, 58% reading, 68% maths); West Park CofE Primary (Controlled) School (0.5 miles, Good, 81% reading, 71% maths); and Goring-By-Sea CofE (Aided) Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 84% reading, 79% maths).
Orchards Junior SchoolEnglish Martyrs Catholic Primary School, WorthingWest Park CofE Primary (Controlled) SchoolGoring-By-Sea CofE (Aided) Primary School
The trust
Orchards Infant School is one of 2 schools run by Sparkle Multi-Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
16% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 40 pupils (14.2%) received SEN support and 24 (8.5%) 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.
Orchards Infant School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 14 places, 14 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Durrington-on-Sea Rail Station, about 530 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).
14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Burlington Road (opposite), 240 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 258 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. 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, Orchards Infant School issued 12 suspensions, 4.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Orchards Infant School are Durrington High School (0.6 miles) and St Oscar Romero Catholic School (0.9 miles).
Sources: 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
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
Orchards Infant School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in January 2024. Before that, as Field Place Infant School (URN 125864), it was rated Requires Improvement in September 2021.
At a Glance
16.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Speech and language
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
23.9
Avg class size
23.1
Infant (KS1)
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Orchards Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Orchards Infant School.
- SportsCool Brighton EM550m away · Not yet graded
- Premier Education - Wrap Around Care at Goring Primary School910m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Orchards Infant 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 Orchards Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Orchards 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
- 26
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 21 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 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 Orchards Infant School
Will you get a place at Orchards Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Orchards Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Orchards Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Orchards Infant School.
- West Sussex publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Orchards Infant School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Orchards Infant School for 2024 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
68%
Available places
244 pupils
360 places
116 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Worthing
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Worthing
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
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
40
SEN Support
24
EHC Plans
22.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Orchards Infant School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 14 places, 14 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
281
Total Pupils
144
Boys
137
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
15
Teachers
18.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,013
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,503
Per pupil
£1509k
Total funding
£68k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.5%
Overall absence
19.3%
Persistent absence
166
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
Orchards Infant School
Questions parents ask about Orchards Infant School
What is Orchards Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Orchards Infant School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in January 2024. Before that, as Field Place Infant School (URN 125864), it was rated Requires Improvement in September 2021.
What is the catchment area for Orchards Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Orchards 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 Orchards Infant School?
Orchards Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 68% of its 360 places.
How big are the classes at Orchards Infant School?
Classes at Orchards Infant School average 23.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Orchards Infant School?
Orchards Infant School has around 281 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Orchards Infant School have specialist SEN provision?
Orchards Infant School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 14 places, 14 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Orchards Infant School?
6.5% of sessions were missed at Orchards Infant School in 2024/25. 19.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Orchards Infant School?
Apply through West Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Orchards 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 Orchards Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Orchards Infant School: SportsCool Brighton EM (550m away, registered, not yet graded) and Premier Education - Wrap Around Care at Goring Primary School (910m 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 Orchards Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 21 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 West Sussex is 11 (the median across 337 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Orchards Infant School?
Orchards Infant School is at Nelson Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN12 6EN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)