Compton and Up Marden CofE Primary School

About Compton and Up Marden CofE Primary School

Compton and Up Marden CofE Primary School is a small Church of England primary in Chichester that parents clearly want to get into. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 22 applications for just 9 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.44. All nine first-preference families were offered a spot, which suggests that while competition is real, putting it top of your list gives you a fair chance. The school has 76 pupils against a capacity of 140, so there is physical room to grow, but demand is currently outstripping supply. Ofsted visited in early 2024 and upgraded the school from Requires Improvement to Good across all five key areas, including behaviour, leadership, and the quality of education. That jump in rating likely explains some of the recent popularity, and the fact that the school has held a Good rating in its most recent inspection gives parents a solid, recent benchmark to go on.

Academically, the picture is mixed. At Key Stage 2 in 2023/24, 43% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined. That is below the West Sussex local authority average of 56%, and it places the school 141st out of 226 similar schools in the county. In the Chichester local area specifically, it ranks 26th out of 38 primary schools, putting it in the bottom half locally. The average scaled scores tell a slightly brighter story: reading averaged 105 and maths 103, both above the national baseline of 100. A higher proportion of pupils hit the higher standard in reading (29%) than in maths or writing (both 14%). Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is hard to say how much value the school adds, but the raw outcomes suggest that while most children leave with solid core skills, the proportion hitting the expected benchmark is lower than many nearby schools.

The school offers a decent range of facilities for its size, including a forest school, sensory room, music rooms, and art studios. Sports provision covers netball, cricket, athletics, swimming, dance, and football, and there are clubs for gardening, film, and books. SEND support is listed for dyslexia, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, and autistic spectrum disorder, which is a broad offering for a small primary. The school is a state-funded mixed primary with no nursery or sixth form, and it has a Church of England character. Given the oversubscription, families living closest to the school or with a church connection will likely have an advantage. This is a school that suits parents who value a small, community-focused setting with recent Ofsted improvement and a clear religious character, but who are comfortable with academic results that sit below the local average.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Compton and Up Marden CofE Primary School

Helpful Guides for Parents