Waterfield Primary School, Crawley

Ofsted's report card from its 6 May 2026 inspection grades Waterfield Primary School on 7 areas: 1 strong standard, 5 expected standard and 1 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Leaders have established a positive and deeply embedded culture of inclusion."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Leaders place a clear emphasis on ensuring that pupils develop secure reading skills."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have established a curriculum that identifies the knowledge that pupils need to learn and the order in which they should learn it."

Early years - Expected standard. "Leaders provide clear and purposeful leadership of the early years provision."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders provide clear strategic direction for the school and its staff and act in the best interests of pupils."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders take a clear and well-structured approach to pupils' personal development and wellbeing."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Too many pupils do not attend school regularly, and too many pupils do not arrive at school on time."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that the school's attendance strategy and accompanying actions improve levels of pupils' attendance and punctuality so that more pupils benefit fully from the education that the school provides"; "Leaders should ensure that, in a small number of subjects, they identify the important knowledge that pupils need to acquire more clearly".

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils at Waterfield Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 72% 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 72% in reading and 79% in maths in 2024.

For September 2026 entry, 47 families put Waterfield Primary School as their first choice and 132 named it as one of their preferences, for 48 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Waterfield Primary School are The Bewbush Academy (0.4 miles, Requires improvement, 74% reading, 74% maths); Gossops Green Primary (0.5 miles, Good, 76% reading, 70% maths); Kilnwood Vale Primary School (0.7 miles, Good); and The Mill Primary Academy (0.8 miles, Good, 86% reading, 83% maths).

Each of them had higher 2025 results than Waterfield Primary School.

Waterfield Primary School is one of 9 schools run by The Collegiate Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's primary schools, 61% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.

34.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (55%), Asian (13%) and Mixed (13%).

Waterfield Primary School had 25 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest railway station is Ifield Rail Station, about 1080 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).

2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Neptune Close (adjacent), 220 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 216 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in West Sussex (103), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Waterfield Primary School issued 8 suspensions, 2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Waterfield Primary School are Holy Trinity CofE Secondary School, Crawley (0.7 miles); St Wilfrid's Catholic Comprehensive School, Crawley (0.9 miles); and Ifield Community College (0.9 miles).