Shelley Primary School

About Shelley Primary School

Shelley Primary School sits within the West Sussex local authority, a large area with 226 primary schools, and it ranks 114th among them. In the Horsham district specifically, the school places 26th out of 35 primaries, putting it in the bottom half of local schools. For context, the top-performing peers in the area include Barns Green Primary School, Heron Way Primary School, and Aldingbourne Primary School, all of which score notably higher on the same ranking metric. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Heron Way Primary, just 4.3 kilometres away. Shelley itself was inspected in January 2025 and received an overall rating of Requires Improvement, a downgrade from its previous Good rating in 2019. The inspection found that the quality of education and leadership and management both require improvement, though behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision were all rated Good.

Academically, the school's Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 academic year show that 51% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined. That is below the West Sussex local authority average of 56%. In individual subjects, 75% reached the expected standard in reading, 73% in maths, and 63% in writing. At the higher standard, just 2% achieved it across all three subjects, with 29% reaching it in reading, 19% in maths, and only 3% in writing. The school's average scaled scores were 104 in both reading and maths, which are in line with the national average of 100. Nationally, Shelley ranks in the bottom quarter of all primary schools on this combined measure, sitting at the 76th percentile. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points.

The school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 academic year, with 102 applications for 60 places and 55 first-preference applications resulting in 52 offers. It has a capacity of 420 pupils and currently enrols 411, with 12.7% eligible for free school meals. Facilities include a library, sports hall, forest school, art studios, sensory room, and a chapel. The school offers a range of sports such as rounders, athletics, dance, and cross country, plus clubs including book club, chess, drama, and art club. SEND provision covers a broad spectrum, including support for dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language difficulties, physical disabilities, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent views are largely positive: 91% would recommend the school, and strong majorities agree their child is happy and feels safe. However, only 68% of parents agree that SEND children receive the support they need, with 32% disagreeing.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Shelley Primary School

Helpful Guides for Parents