Elm Grove Primary School, Worthing

About Elm Grove Primary School, Worthing

Elm Grove Primary School in Worthing is a state primary for mixed-gender pupils aged 4 to 11, currently home to 195 children against a capacity of 215. That leaves a little breathing room, but the school is clearly in demand: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 165 applications for just 30 places, an oversubscription ratio of 5.5 to one. Of those, 29 families put it as their first preference, and 26 received offers. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals sits at 11.3 per cent, which is slightly below the national primary average of around 23 per cent, suggesting a relatively less disadvantaged intake than many schools nationally. The school has no religious character and is led by headteacher Lynsey Udell. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2024, rated it Good across every category, including behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management — a consistent improvement from its previous Good rating in 2018, where early years provision had been the same grade.

Academically, Elm Grove’s Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 year show a mixed picture. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined was 59 per cent, just above the West Sussex local authority average of 56 per cent. However, the school’s ranking within Worthing places it 11th out of 16 primary schools, and nationally it sits in the bottom 50 per cent of schools on this metric. Looking at individual subjects, 76 per cent met the expected standard in maths and 72 per cent in reading, while writing lagged at 62 per cent. At the higher standard, only 3 per cent achieved that level across all three subjects, though 31 per cent did so in maths and 24 per cent in reading. Average scaled scores were 104 in maths and 106 in reading, both slightly above the national benchmark of 100. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it’s hard to say how much value the school adds from starting points.

The school offers a decent range of facilities, including a library, music rooms, art studios, an ICT suite, a sensory room and a chapel. Sports provision covers tennis, football, netball, rounders, cross country and dance, while clubs include film, gardening and science. For children with additional needs, the school’s SEND register covers specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, physical disabilities and autistic spectrum disorder. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary is Springfield Infant School and Nursery, 2.7 kilometres away. Elm Grove is a solid, well-subscribed local option for families in Worthing who want a Good-rated school with a broad curriculum and strong SEND support, though those prioritising top-tier academic outcomes may want to look at higher-ranked peers in the area.

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