Ferring C of E Primary School

About Ferring C of E Primary School

Ferring C of E Primary School was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022, a notable improvement from its previous Requires improvement rating in 2019. The inspection found all key areas — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — to be Good. However, the school’s academic outcomes at Key Stage 2 tell a more nuanced story. Just 29% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is significantly below the West Sussex local authority average of 56%. This places Ferring 169th out of 226 primary schools in the county, and in the bottom 50% nationally. In the more local Arun district ranking, it sits 26th out of 27 schools. The school’s ranking score of 29 reflects these results, and while individual subject scores are stronger — 71% reached the expected standard in writing and 63% in reading — maths attainment is notably lower, with only 54% at the expected level and just 4% achieving a higher standard.

Looking more closely at the 2023/24 exam data, the picture is mixed. Reading was the strongest subject, with an average scaled score of 104 and 21% of pupils reaching the higher standard. Maths averaged exactly 100, the national baseline, but only 4% of pupils achieved the higher standard. Writing, while having a solid 71% expected rate, also saw just 4% at greater depth. No pupils reached the higher standard across all three subjects combined. The school’s progress scores are not available, so it is unclear how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points. The Ofsted report from 2022 noted improvements in leadership and management, which had been a weakness in the previous inspection. With 178 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210, the school is not full, and the small size likely allows for close relationships between staff and children.

Ferring C of E Primary School is a Church of England state school for mixed pupils aged 4 to 11, located in the Arun district of West Sussex. The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 68 applications for 23 places and 21 first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of nearly 3 to 1. It serves a relatively advantaged intake, with only 10.7% of pupils eligible for free school meals. Facilities include art studios, a library, sports hall, sensory room and a chapel. The school offers a range of sports including tennis, swimming, rounders, athletics and cricket, plus clubs such as gardening, film club and eco club. SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. This school may suit families who value its Church of England character and small community feel, but who are prepared to support their child’s academic progress beyond what the school’s current outcomes deliver.

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