Petworth Cof E Primary School, Petworth
Petworth Cof E Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Petworth. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 141st-highest of the 193 schools in West Sussex with published results, and 10,716th of 14,452 across England. It was 66% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- 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 West Sussex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Petworth Cof E Primary School in detail
Petworth Cof E Primary School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include netball, karate and Lego.
The school runs after-school care.
Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils at Petworth Cof E Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 65% 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 74% in reading and 70% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Petworth Cof E Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 24 families put Petworth Cof E Primary School as their first choice and 49 named it as one of their preferences, for 25 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 Petworth Cof E Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Petworth Cof E Primary School are Fittleworth CofE Village School (2.4 miles, Good, 58% reading, 53% maths); Duncton CofE Junior School (2.7 miles, Good, 75% reading, 67% maths); St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham (4 miles, Good, 80% reading, 40% maths); and Graffham Church of England Infant School (Voluntary Controlled) (4 miles, Good).
Petworth Cof E Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Fittleworth CofE Village SchoolDuncton CofE Junior SchoolSt James' CofE Primary School, ColdwalthamGraffham Church of England Infant School (Voluntary Controlled)
What parents say
65 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Petworth Cof E Primary School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 94% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (100%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (89%).
Who goes there
4.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 23 pupils (14%) received SEN support and 17 (10.4%) 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 Petworth Cof E Primary School.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is School (adjacent), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 13 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, other theft and anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in West Sussex (103).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Petworth Cof E Primary School issued 4 suspensions, 2.5 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; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from July 2019, 7 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 Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Your child will be in a happy, caring environment where their individual needs matter and staff quickly resolve any concerns. The school combines strong academics with wonderful outdoor learning experiences - from forest sessions to their own farm area - making learning enjoyable and memorable. The school actively celebrates every child as unique, teaching them to treat others with equality and kindness.
Key Strengths
- Excellent reading programme with well-trained staff delivering phonics consistently, resulting in nearly all pupils reading with confidence by the end of Key Stage 1
- Very nurturing environment with strong support for pupils with SEND and mental health needs
- Well-designed curriculum that is broad and ambitious, with clear sequencing from early years through Year 6
- Pupils demonstrate good behaviour, strong morals and celebrate difference and equality
- Rich enrichment activities bring learning to life through forest sessions, farm area, gallery visits and residential trips
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching delivery in some wider subjects (non-English and maths) is inconsistent, with pupils sometimes unclear about how to approach their work
- Low-level disruptive behaviours occasionally interrupt lessons, diverting staff attention and affecting classmates' learning
- Need for more consistent behaviour management strategies across all staff
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong systems in place that prioritise pupil welfare and create an open, positive culture around safeguarding.
Extracurricular Activities
Forest sessions, farm area activities, gallery visits, river trips, London trips, residential Isle of Wight trip, sports, arts activities
Petworth CofE Primary School is a caring school where pupils feel happy and safe, with a well-thought-out curriculum that helps them achieve well across all subjects. The school maintains good standards in behaviour, personal development, leadership and early years provision.
At a Glance
23.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
65 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 remained stable at around 73% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 70% to 65% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 62% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
22.7
Avg class size
25.7
Infant (KS1)
19.7
KS2
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Petworth Cof E Primary School
Newsletter 22nd May 2026
22 May 2026
Newsletter 27th April 2026
27 Apr 2026
Newsletter 13th February 2026
13 Feb 2026
Newsletter 2nd February 2026
2 Feb 2026
Newsletter 19th December 2025
19 Dec 2025
Newsletter 5th December 2025
5 Dec 2025
From Petworth Cof E Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Petworth Cof E Primary School
Term dates
Petworth Cof E Primary School is a voluntary controlled 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 Petworth Cof E Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Petworth Cof E 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
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
2 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 Petworth Cof E Primary School
Will you get a place at Petworth Cof E Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Petworth Cof E Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Petworth Cof E Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Petworth Cof E Primary School.
- West Sussex publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Petworth Cof E Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Petworth Cof E 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
66%
Available places
154 pupils
235 places
81 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Petworth
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Petworth
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(11)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
23
SEN Support
17
EHC Plans
24.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
164
Total Pupils
75
Boys
89
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
20.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,552
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,633
Per pupil
£986k
Total funding
£38k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.4%
Overall absence
10.7%
Persistent absence
131
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Petworth Cof E Primary School
What are SATs results like at Petworth Cof E Primary School?
Of the pupils at Petworth Cof E Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 73% reached the expected standard in reading and 65% did so in maths.
What is Petworth Cof E Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Petworth Cof E Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Petworth Cof E Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Petworth Cof E 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 Petworth Cof E Primary School?
Petworth Cof E Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 66% of its 235 places.
How big are the classes at Petworth Cof E Primary School?
Classes at Petworth Cof E Primary School average 22.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Petworth Cof E Primary School?
Petworth Cof E Primary School has around 164 pupils on roll. 24% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Petworth Cof E Primary School?
4.4% of sessions were missed at Petworth Cof E Primary School in 2024/25. 10.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Petworth Cof E Primary School?
Apply through West Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Petworth Cof E 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 Petworth Cof E Primary School's term dates?
Petworth Cof E Primary School is a voluntary controlled 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 Petworth Cof E Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 2 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 Petworth Cof E Primary School?
Petworth Cof E Primary School is at South Grove, Petworth, West Sussex, GU28 0EE.
Sources: West Sussex term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)