East Preston Junior School

About East Preston Junior School

East Preston Junior School enjoys strong backing from its families, with 95% of parents who responded to the Ofsted Parent View survey saying they would recommend the school. That figure comes from 78 responses collected between September 2024 and September 2025, and the detail behind it is striking: 98% of parents strongly agreed or agreed that their child is happy at the school, and the same proportion felt their child is safe. On behaviour, 98% agreed the school ensures pupils are well behaved, and 97% felt concerns are dealt with properly. The school is a state primary for ages 7 to 11 in Arun, West Sussex, with a capacity of 360 and currently 349 pupils on roll. It is not oversubscribed in a way that forces a lottery — the data doesn't show an oversubscription ratio — but the strong parent satisfaction suggests a settled community. Headteacher Michael Tidd leads a school where 15.5% of pupils qualify for free school meals, slightly below the national average for primary schools.

Academically, East Preston Junior School is a solidly Good school, a rating it has held across its two most recent graded inspections, the latest of which was in 2019, with an ungraded inspection in 2025 confirming that standards are being maintained. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 52% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — just below the local authority average of 56%. The school's strongest subject is reading, where 82% met the expected standard and 25% reached the higher standard, compared with 64% in maths and 70% in writing. Average scores were 104 in reading and 103 in maths. The school ranks 16th out of 27 primary schools in Arun on the combined expected standard metric, placing it in the bottom half of the local authority. Nationally, it sits in the 75th percentile, meaning about a quarter of schools nationally perform better on this measure.

The school offers a decent range of facilities for a junior school, including a sports hall, playing fields, library, music rooms, art studios and a sensory room. Sports provision covers tennis, rounders, athletics, swimming, cricket, cross country and netball, while clubs include art, chess, film, science, gardening and coding. SEND support is well-regarded by parents — 100% of those who responded to the relevant Parent View question agreed the school gives SEND children the support they need. The school lists provisions for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment and physical disability. For families in the Arun area looking for a junior school where parents report high levels of happiness and safety, and where the headteacher is visible and the school is not oversubscribed, East Preston Junior School is a practical choice worth visiting.

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