Laughton Community Primary School

About Laughton Community Primary School

Parents considering Laughton Community Primary School will find a school that is clearly popular locally. In the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 30 applications for just 14 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.14. Only eight of those applications were first-preference offers, which suggests that while it is a sought-after choice, many families who apply do not necessarily place it as their top pick. The school is a state primary for mixed genders aged 5 to 11, with a current roll of 75 pupils against a capacity of 105, so there is some room for growth. It is led by headteacher Rachel West and sits within the Wealden borough of East Sussex. The school does not have a religious character. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in March 2024 and published in May 2024, rated the school as Good across all five graded categories: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. The early years provision was also rated Good. This is consistent with its previous inspection in 2013, which also awarded a Good rating for overall effectiveness and leadership and management.

Academically, Laughton Community Primary School performs broadly in line with or slightly above local averages in some key areas. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 58% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. This is just one percentage point below the East Sussex local authority average of 59%. The school’s reading results were particularly strong: 92% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, and 33% achieved a higher standard. The average reading score was 109, which is above the national average of 105. In maths, 67% of pupils met the expected standard, with an average score of 102, and 25% achieved a higher standard. Writing was weaker, with 67% reaching the expected standard and only 8% reaching the higher standard. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom half of primary schools for the combined reading, writing and maths expected standard, sitting at the 62nd percentile. Within Wealden, it ranks 26th out of 48 schools, placing it in the bottom 50% of the district.

The school offers a solid range of facilities and activities that support a broad primary experience. Facilities include an outdoor playground, music rooms, a gymnasium, an ICT suite, art studios, a sports hall and a chapel. Sports on offer include athletics, swimming, tennis, netball and dance, while clubs extend to art, eco, choir, science, chess and coding. For children with additional needs, the school has identified specific SEND provisions for Specific Learning Difficulty (Dyslexia), Social, Emotional & Mental Health needs, and Speech, Language & Communication needs. With 13.3% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a slightly above-average proportion of disadvantaged families compared with the national primary average. This is a school that suits families looking for a small, community-focused setting with good reading outcomes and a wide extracurricular offer, though those prioritising top-tier academic rankings may want to look at higher-performing peers in the area such as St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School or Catsfield Church of England Primary School.

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