Chyngton School

About Chyngton School

Chyngton School, a state primary in Lewes, holds a Good rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022, a grade it has maintained consistently across both its recent inspections. The most telling academic metric is the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined at Key Stage 2, which stands at 45%. This figure is notably below the East Sussex local authority average of 59%, placing the school 106th out of 144 primaries in the area. In the wider South East region, Chyngton ranks in the bottom half of schools on this measure. While the school’s overall effectiveness is solid, the KS2 combined result suggests that, for a significant portion of its cohort, achieving the expected benchmark across all three core subjects remains a challenge.

Digging into the individual subject scores from the 2023/24 academic year, Chyngton’s pupils performed strongest in reading, with an average scaled score of 104 and 66% reaching the expected standard. Writing and maths followed closely, with 65% and 60% achieving the expected level respectively. However, the proportion reaching the higher standard in any subject is low: 24% in reading, 15% in maths, and just 5% in writing. Only 3% of pupils hit the higher standard across all three subjects. The school’s Ofsted report from 2022 rated behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management all as Good, with early years provision also Good. The previous inspection in 2015 had also rated overall effectiveness as Good, indicating a stable, if not improving, trajectory under headteacher Amy Clarke.

Chyngton is a larger-than-average primary with 354 pupils against a capacity of 420, and it is significantly oversubscribed: for 2025/26, there were 94 applications for 32 places, with all 32 first-preference offers taken up, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.94. The school offers a nursery provision for children from age 2. Its facilities include a dining hall, ICT suite, art studios, outdoor playground, playing fields, and a chapel. Sports on offer include athletics, swimming, netball, and cricket, while clubs range from coding and chess to eco club and book club. The school has a broad range of SEND provisions, supporting pupils with specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech and language needs, hearing impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 29.1% of pupils eligible for free school meals, Chyngton serves a community with above-average disadvantage, and families should be aware that while the school is well-regarded locally, its academic outcomes in core subjects are below the county average.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Chyngton School

Helpful Guides for Parents