Plumpton Primary School, Near Lewes
Plumpton Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Near Lewes. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 111th-highest of the 132 schools in East Sussex with published results, and 12,330th of 14,452 across England. It was 96% 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
Plumpton Primary School in detail
Plumpton Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I am proud to be the Head of School at Plumpton Primary School. We are a small, rural primary school at the heart of our village community, where every child is known, valued and supported to thrive. We provide a calm, nurturing environment in which pupils feel safe, develop confidence and are ready to learn."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am and after-school care.
Coming up: an open day on Wednesday 18 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in East Sussex
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils at Plumpton Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 63% 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 78% in reading and 83% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Plumpton Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 14 families put Plumpton Primary School as their first choice and 37 named it as one of their preferences, for 15 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 Plumpton Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Plumpton Primary School are Wivelsfield Primary School and Nursery (2.3 miles, Good, 79% reading, 79% maths); Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School (2.4 miles, 84% reading, 90% maths); Chailey St Peter's Church of England Primary School (2.6 miles, Good, 67% reading, 47% maths); and Hamsey Community Primary School (2.8 miles, Good, 90% reading, 80% maths).
Plumpton Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Wivelsfield Primary School and NurseryDitchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary SchoolChailey St Peter's Church of England Primary SchoolHamsey Community Primary School
Who goes there
6.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 20 pupils (14.7%) received SEN support and 1 (0.7%) 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.
Staffing
Plumpton Primary School had 10 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Plumpton Rail Station, about 260 metres away (roughly a 3-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is East View Fields (opposite), 140 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 3 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in East Sussex (65).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Plumpton Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 1.5 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; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; 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 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 June 2017 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
6.6%
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 78% to 63% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 83% to 63% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 78% to 69% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.2
Avg class size
28.0
Infant (KS1)
26.7
KS2
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Plumpton Primary School
Term dates
Plumpton Primary School is a community 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
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Plumpton Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Plumpton 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)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
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 Plumpton Primary School
Will you get a place at Plumpton Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Plumpton Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Plumpton Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Plumpton 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 Plumpton 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
96%
Near capacity
134 pupils
140 places
6 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Near Lewes
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Near Lewes
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(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
20
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
15.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
136
Total Pupils
72
Boys
64
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
13.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£60,089
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,625
Per pupil
£811k
Total funding
£17k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.3%
Overall absence
10.1%
Persistent absence
119
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
Plumpton Primary School
Questions parents ask about Plumpton Primary School
What are SATs results like at Plumpton Primary School?
Of the pupils at Plumpton Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 63% reached the expected standard in reading and 63% did so in maths.
What is Plumpton Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Plumpton Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Plumpton Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Plumpton 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 Plumpton Primary School?
Plumpton Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Plumpton Primary School?
Classes at Plumpton Primary School average 27.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Plumpton Primary School?
Plumpton Primary School has around 136 pupils on roll. 7% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Plumpton Primary School?
4.3% of sessions were missed at Plumpton Primary School in 2024/25. 10.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Plumpton Primary School?
Apply through East Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Plumpton 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 Plumpton Primary School's term dates?
Plumpton Primary School is a community 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 Plumpton Primary School?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in East Sussex is 8 (the median across 221 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Plumpton Primary School?
Plumpton Primary School is at Southdowns, Plumpton Green, Near Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 3EB.
Sources: East Sussex term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)