Shipley CofE Primary School

About Shipley CofE Primary School

Shipley CofE Primary School was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2024, a grade it has held consistently across both its graded and ungraded inspections. The school’s most telling exam metric is the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which sits at 54%. That figure is just below the West Sussex local authority average of 56%, placing Shipley 103rd out of 226 primary schools in the county. In the Horsham district specifically, the school ranks 24th out of 35 primaries, putting it in the bottom half of local schools. However, the picture is more nuanced when you look at individual subjects: 92% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, and 77% did so in writing, while maths lagged at 69%. The average reading score was 108 and maths 104, both above the national benchmark of 100.

At the higher standard, 31% of pupils achieved above the expected level in reading, though no pupils reached that threshold in writing or the combined measure. Maths saw 8% at the higher standard. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it’s hard to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points. The Ofsted breakdown shows leadership and management, early years provision, and overall effectiveness all rated Good, with the early years provision having improved from a Requires Improvement rating in the previous inspection back in 2014. The school is small, with just 74 pupils on roll against a capacity of 105, and 8.1% of children are eligible for free school meals, which is below the national average. There is no sixth form or nursery provision.

Shipley is a Church of England primary in Horsham, West Sussex, and it is significantly oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 33 applications for just 7 places, with only 6 first-preference offers made. That gives an oversubscription ratio of 4.71, meaning families need to be confident in their application strategy. The school offers a broad range of facilities including a forest school, ICT suite, art studios, sports hall, music rooms, chapel and gymnasium. Clubs include gardening, choir, science, coding, eco club and drama, while sports on offer are football, swimming, tennis and netball. SEND provision is well-developed, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate to severe learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. This is a school that suits families who prioritise a strong reading culture, a Christian ethos, and a small, community feel, but who are prepared for a competitive admissions process.

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