Rake CofE Primary School, Liss
Rake CofE Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Liss. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 189th-highest of the 193 schools in West Sussex with published results, and 14,209th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.8 first-choice applications for every place. It was 85% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- 1.8 first choices per place
- Attendance
- Below England average
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
Rake CofE Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 44% of Year 6 pupils at Rake CofE Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 44% 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 81% in reading and 75% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Rake CofE Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 25 families put Rake CofE Primary School as their first choice and 60 named it as one of their preferences, for 14 places offered. That is 1.8 first choices for every place. 13 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Rake CofE Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Rake CofE Primary School are Liss Infant School (1.8 miles, Requires improvement); Liss Junior School (1.8 miles, Good, 70% reading, 80% maths); Hollycombe Primary School (2.3 miles, Good, 82% reading, 47% maths); and Greatham Primary School (2.6 miles, Good, 89% reading, 86% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Rake CofE Primary School.
Liss Infant SchoolLiss Junior SchoolHollycombe Primary SchoolGreatham Primary School
What parents say
42 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Rake CofE Primary School (as of September 2025): 91% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 80% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (100%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (76%).
Who goes there
14.3% 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.
In 2026, 10 pupils (11%) received SEN support and 7 (7.7%) 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 a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Liss Rail Station, about 1.9 miles away in a straight line.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 1 crime within a mile of the school, most often criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in West Sussex (103).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Rake CofE Primary School issued 1 suspension, 1.1 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 · 1 year agoThis judgement is from October 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 June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Rake CofE Primary School creates a supportive, friendly community where staff know every child well. The school excels at building children's confidence through outdoor learning, outdoor activities and carefully chosen enrichment opportunities. Pupils benefit from strong early reading instruction and an ambitious, well-designed curriculum that helps them make a confident start to their education.
Key Strengths
- Strong early reading programme with systematic phonics teaching and good catch-up support for struggling readers
- Creative and engaging early years provision with thoughtful activities that build children's knowledge effectively
- Wide range of trips, educational visits and school clubs including multi-sport, football, craft and computing to support pupils' interests
- High staff expectations for pupil behaviour with consistent, positive approaches that celebrate achievements
- Pupils with SEND quickly identified and well-supported with curriculum adaptations and external agency partnerships
Areas for Improvement
- Writing curriculum not as effective - pupils have gaps in handwriting, spelling, punctuation and grammar with insufficient opportunities to practise and correct their work
- In some subjects, teachers do not check pupils' knowledge precisely enough, meaning learning gaps go unnoticed and pupils move on before ready
- Need more systematic assessment across the curriculum to identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge early and consistently
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with clear systems in place to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
multi-sport events, football, craft, computing, eco-council, school council
Rake CofE Primary School is a small primary school where pupils are proud of their school and understand its values of love, respect and perseverance. The school provides a calm, orderly environment with high expectations for behaviour and learning.
At a Glance
14.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
42 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 declined from 81% to 44% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 75% to 44% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 75% to 56% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
22.8
Avg class size
18.0
Infant (KS1)
27.5
KS2
4
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Rake CofE Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Rake CofE Primary School.
- JC Sports WAC Rake Primary SchoolAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Rake CofE 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)
Free school transport
Check free transport to Rake CofE Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Rake CofE 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)
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 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 Rake CofE Primary School
Will you get a place at Rake CofE Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Rake CofE Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Rake CofE Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Rake CofE Primary School.
- West Sussex publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Rake CofE Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Rake CofE 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
85%
Available places
89 pupils
105 places
16 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Liss
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Liss
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: 1.8 first choices per place
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
10
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
18.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
91
Total Pupils
43
Boys
48
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
5
Teachers
18.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,725
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,960
Per pupil
£611k
Total funding
£15k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.2%
Overall absence
21.6%
Persistent absence
88
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Rake CofE Primary School
What are SATs results like at Rake CofE Primary School?
Of the pupils at Rake CofE Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 44% reached the expected standard in reading and 44% did so in maths.
What is Rake CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Rake CofE Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Rake CofE Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Rake CofE 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 Rake CofE Primary School?
Rake CofE Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 85% of its 105 places.
How big are the classes at Rake CofE Primary School?
Classes at Rake CofE Primary School average 22.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Rake CofE Primary School?
Rake CofE Primary School has around 91 pupils on roll. 14% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Rake CofE Primary School?
7.2% of sessions were missed at Rake CofE Primary School in 2024/25. 21.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Rake CofE Primary School?
Apply through West Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Rake CofE 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 Rake CofE Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: JC Sports WAC Rake Primary School (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Rake CofE Primary School's term dates?
Rake CofE 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 Rake CofE 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 West Sussex is 11 (the median across 337 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Rake CofE Primary School?
Rake CofE Primary School is at London Road, Rake, Liss, Hampshire, GU33 7JH.
Sources: West Sussex term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)