Sir Henry Fermor Church of England Primary School

About Sir Henry Fermor Church of England Primary School

Sir Henry Fermor Church of England Primary School sits in the bottom half of East Sussex primaries when it comes to the key headline measure of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. At 48%, that figure is notably below the local authority average of 59% for the 2023/24 academic year. The school ranks 97th out of 144 similar schools in the county, placing it in the bottom 50% nationally. However, the picture is more mixed when you look at individual subjects. In maths, 72% of pupils met the expected standard, and the average scaled score of 103 is solid. Reading is similar, with 74% hitting the expected mark and an average score of 104. The real drag comes from writing, where only 59% reached the expected level, and just 8% achieved the higher standard. So while the school isn't struggling across the board, the combined figure pulls it down, and parents should look closely at how writing is being taught.

The school's most recent graded Ofsted inspection, in 2019, rated it Good overall, with Good marks for early years provision, leadership and management, and the quality of education. A subsequent ungraded inspection in 2024 confirmed the school remains Good. That's a significant improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2015, when it was judged to Require Improvement. Progress scores for reading, writing and maths are not available in the data, so it's hard to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points. But the raw attainment figures suggest that while many children do fine in reading and maths, writing is a weaker spot. The school is a Church of England primary, and its headteacher is Vicki Edwards. With 383 pupils on roll against a capacity of 420, it's not quite full, but it is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 127 applications for 58 places, with 56 first-preference offers made.

Facilities are a real strength here. The school has a forest school, a sensory room, music rooms, a gymnasium, sports hall, playing fields and even a chapel. Sports on offer include football, cricket, swimming, athletics and tennis, and there are clubs for art, coding, book club and gardening. The SEND provision is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, physical disabilities and autistic spectrum disorder. That suggests the school is well set up to support a range of additional needs. With 18.8% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the intake is slightly above the national average for primary schools, but not dramatically so. This is a school that suits families who value a strong set of facilities and a church ethos, but who are aware that academic outcomes, particularly in writing, are below the local average and will want to keep a close eye on progress in that area.

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