The Meads Primary School, East Grinstead
The Meads Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in East Grinstead. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 8th-highest of the 8 schools in East Grinstead with published results, and 11,322nd of 14,452 across England. It was 86% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- 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
The Meads Primary School in detail
The Meads Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are a primary school located on the southern edge of East Grinstead, in an area of outstanding natural beauty."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football and Lego.
The school runs after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils at The Meads Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 67% 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 78% in reading and 70% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at The Meads Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 30 families put The Meads Primary School as their first choice and 78 named it as one of their preferences, for 31 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 The Meads Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to The Meads Primary School are Estcots Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 80% reading, 83% maths); St Peter's Catholic Primary School (1 mile, Good, 84% reading, 84% maths); St Mary's Church of England Primary School, East Grinstead (1.1 miles); and Halsford Park Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 87% reading, 84% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than The Meads Primary School.
Estcots Primary SchoolSt Peter's Catholic Primary SchoolSt Mary's Church of England Primary School, East GrinsteadHalsford Park Primary School
Who goes there
8.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 4.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (81%) and Mixed (7%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is East Grinstead Rail Station, about 1070 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Paddock Gardens (opposite), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Meads Primary School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Meads Primary School issued 3 suspensions, 1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to The Meads Primary School are Sackville School (0.8 miles) and Imberhorne School (1.5 miles).
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; 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 January 2015, 11 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 January 2015 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
8.7%
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 67% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 67% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 74% to 60% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.0
Avg class size
23.2
Infant (KS1)
28.3
KS2
11
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from The Meads Primary School
School Newsletter 02/10/2026
2 Oct 2026
School Newsletter 18/09/2026
18 Sep 2026
School Newsletter 11/09/2026
11 Sep 2026
School Newsletter 17/07/2026
17 Jul 2026
The Meads Win the School Games GOLD Mark Award for 2025/26
8 Jul 2026
School Newsletter 03/07/2026
3 Jul 2026
From The Meads Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with The Meads Primary School
Before and after school care
The Meads Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in West Sussex
Term dates
The Meads Primary School is a community 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
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Meads Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Meads 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
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
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 The Meads Primary School
Will you get a place at The Meads Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Meads Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Meads Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Meads Primary School.
- West Sussex publishes last distance offered figures, but none for The Meads Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Meads 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
86%
Available places
298 pupils
345 places
47 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - East Grinstead
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for East Grinstead
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(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
43
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
18.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
286
Total Pupils
148
Boys
138
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
16
Teachers
17.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,380
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,109
Per pupil
£1577k
Total funding
£41k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
10.4%
Persistent absence
269
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
The Meads Primary School
Questions parents ask about The Meads Primary School
What are SATs results like at The Meads Primary School?
Of the pupils at The Meads Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 67% reached the expected standard in reading and 67% did so in maths.
What is The Meads Primary School's Ofsted rating?
The Meads Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for The Meads Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When The Meads 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 The Meads Primary School?
The Meads Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 86% of its 345 places.
How big are the classes at The Meads Primary School?
Classes at The Meads Primary School average 26 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Meads Primary School?
The Meads Primary School has around 286 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Meads Primary School?
4.8% of sessions were missed at The Meads Primary School in 2024/25. 10.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Meads Primary School?
Apply through West Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming The Meads 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 The Meads Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
The Meads Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
What are The Meads Primary School's term dates?
The Meads Primary School is a community 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 The Meads Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 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 The Meads Primary School?
The Meads Primary School is at The Meads Primary School, Mill Way, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 4DD.
Sources: West Sussex term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)