Firle Church of England Primary School

About Firle Church of England Primary School

Firle Church of England Primary School is a small state primary in the Lewes area of East Sussex, and it currently sits near the bottom of the local authority rankings for its school type. Among 144 similar schools in East Sussex, it is ranked 112th, placing it in the bottom half of the table. The top-performing peers in the same local authority include St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School, Catsfield Church of England Primary School, and Blackboys Church of England Primary School, all of which score significantly higher on the ranking metric. Firle’s most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in July 2025, resulted in an overall effectiveness rating of ‘Not judged’ under the new framework, but the school’s previous graded inspection in 2022 rated it as ‘Requires improvement’. The school is led by headteacher Rachel West and has a Church of England religious character, with a total of 54 pupils on roll against a capacity of 105.

Academically, the school’s Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 academic year show that 43% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is well below the East Sussex local authority average of 59%. In reading, 64% reached the expected standard and 21% achieved a higher score, while in maths the expected standard was met by 50% of pupils, with 21% reaching the higher threshold. The average reading score was 103 and the average maths score was 99. No pupils achieved the higher standard in all three subjects combined. The school’s ranking score of 43 places it in the bottom 50 nationally, and it ranks 21st out of 23 primary schools in the Lewes district. In the South East region, it sits at 1812 out of 2034 schools. The school does not have a sixth form and does not offer nursery provision.

Firle offers a range of facilities including playing fields, a forest school, a sensory room, an ICT suite, a gymnasium, and a chapel. Sports on offer include football, cricket, rounders and netball, and there are clubs for drama, choir and film club. The school’s SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. For the 2025/26 admissions year, the school was oversubscribed, with 12 applications for 10 places and 8 first-preference offers made. Parent View responses, based on 26 respondents, were overwhelmingly positive: 96% would recommend the school, and 73% strongly agreed that their child is happy there. This is a small, community-focused school that may suit families who value a close-knit environment and strong pastoral care, though academic outcomes are currently below the local average.

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