Parkside Community Primary School, Heathfield

Ofsted's report card from its 24 March 2026 inspection grades Parkside Community Primary School on 7 areas: 3 strong standard and 4 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Leaders' work to improve pupils' attendance has a highly positive impact."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Leaders have a very secure, detailed understanding of children's needs."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "The school's personal development curriculum is extensive, highly responsive to pupils' needs and coherently designed."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils progress securely through the curriculum."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is generally taught well."

Early years - Expected standard. "Leaders have established a curriculum that builds on children's interests and supports the development of key knowledge that they will need for the future."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have a secure understanding of their school and the community that they serve."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that staff further develop practice to check pupils' understanding so that they can consistently identify and correct pupils' errors and misconceptions"; "Leaders should ensure that pupils strengthen their foundational knowledge and skills in handwriting, ensuring that any gaps are addressed and closed quickly".

In its own words: "Parkside Community Primary & Preschool lies on the edge of Heathfield in a beautiful parkland setting. The school has many excellent indoor facilities , with spacious classrooms and a range of communal learning areas including library, computing room and small intervention spaces."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball and drama.

Coming up: an open day on Tuesday 17 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils at Parkside Community Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 83% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 72% in East Sussex and 77% and 75% across England.

Results rose from 67% in reading and 83% in maths in 2024.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 43 families put Parkside Community Primary School as their first choice and 81 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is 1.4 first choices for every place. 14 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state primary schools to Parkside Community Primary School are All Saints' and St Richard's Church of England Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 75% reading, 58% maths); Cross-in-Hand Church of England Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 75% reading, 80% maths); Maynards Green Community Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 77% reading, 71% maths); and Punnetts Town Community Primary School and Nursery (1.8 miles, Good, 71% reading, 79% maths).

Parkside Community Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.

75 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Parkside Community Primary School (as of April 2026): 75% would recommend the school, 83% say their child is happy there and 21% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (85%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (21%).

7.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (88%) and Mixed (8%).

In 2026, 44 pupils (19.6%) received SEN support and 4 (1.8%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.

There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Parkside Community Primary School.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Parkside Community Primary School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 34 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and burglary. That is well below the typical figure around schools in East Sussex (65).

In 2024/25, Parkside Community Primary School issued 18 suspensions, 7.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.