Lyminster Primary School

About Lyminster Primary School

Lyminster Primary School, a state primary for mixed pupils aged 4 to 11 in Arun, West Sussex, was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2025. This marks an improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2019, when it was rated Requires Improvement. The school now holds Good ratings across all five key areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. In terms of academic outcomes, the most telling metric is the Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard, where 45% of pupils met the benchmark in 2023/24. This is notably below the West Sussex local authority average of 56%, placing the school 137th out of 226 similar schools in the county. Nationally, Lyminster sits in the bottom 50% of primary schools for this measure.

Looking more closely at the 2023/24 KS2 results, performance is mixed across subjects. In reading, 52% of pupils reached the expected standard and 19% achieved a higher standard, with an average score of 102. Writing saw 65% meet expectations and 16% reach the higher standard. Maths was weaker: 61% hit the expected standard and 13% the higher standard, with an average score of 99. Only 3% of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. The school’s ranking within Arun is 20th out of 27 primary schools, placing it in the bottom half of its immediate local area. Despite these modest academic figures, parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive. In the most recent Parent View survey, 90% of respondents would recommend the school, and 93% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy there. Strong majorities also felt the school has high expectations and supports personal development.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 119 applications for 30 places and 28 offers made to first-preference families. Facilities include a sensory room, forest school, gymnasium, ICT suite, and an outdoor playground. Sports on offer include gymnastics, football, cricket, cross country, rounders, and tennis, while clubs cover art, coding, and chess. SEND provisions are in place for moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication, and autistic spectrum disorder. However, the Parent View data shows some concern here: of the 32% of respondents with SEND children, 50% disagreed that the school gives them the support they need, while 30% strongly agreed. This split suggests families with SEND children should investigate further. Lyminster is best suited to families who prioritise a happy, safe environment and strong pastoral care over top-tier academic results, and who value the forest school and sensory facilities.

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