St Andrew's CofE (Aided) Primary School

About St Andrew's CofE (Aided) Primary School

St Andrew's CofE (Aided) Primary School sits comfortably above the Brighton and Hove average for its key stage 2 results, with 70% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a local authority average of 59%. That eleven-point gap places the school seventh out of 40 primary schools in the area, putting it in the top 18% locally and the top third nationally. The school is heavily oversubscribed — 255 applications for 87 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, with 111 families listing it as their first choice — which suggests this strong performance is well known among local parents. The school is a Church of England aided primary, and its headteacher is Sophie Thomas. It currently holds a Good rating from Ofsted, following a graded inspection in 2015 and an ungraded inspection in November 2024 that confirmed standards were being maintained. The previous inspection, back in 2009, had rated the school Outstanding overall, so the current Good grade represents a step down, but the most recent visit found no cause for concern.

Looking more closely at the 2023/24 key stage 2 results, the school’s strongest subject is reading, where 89% of pupils met the expected standard and 37% reached the higher standard, with an average scaled score of 107. In maths, 82% met the expected standard and 22% hit the higher mark, with an average score of 104. Writing is slightly weaker, with 80% at expected and 15% at the higher level. The combined expected figure of 70% is solid but not exceptional for a school ranked this high locally — the top three schools in the LA all scored 72 or above. Ofsted’s 2015 graded inspection rated both leadership and management and overall effectiveness as Good, with early years provision also Good. The ungraded inspection in 2024 found that standards were maintained, which is reassuring for parents looking at a school that has held a Good rating for a decade. The parent view survey, based on 142 responses collected between September 2024 and September 2025, is overwhelmingly positive: 99% of respondents would recommend the school, and 90% strongly agreed that their child is happy there.

The school is large for a primary, with 651 pupils on roll against a capacity of 654, and 19.2% of pupils eligible for free school meals, which is slightly above the national average. It offers a broad range of facilities including art studios, a sensory room, a chapel, music rooms, a sports hall and an ICT suite. Sports on offer include athletics, gymnastics, dance, rounders, cross country, swimming and cricket, and clubs include choir, drama, gardening, coding and art club. The school’s SEND provision covers a wide spectrum, including support for autistic spectrum disorder, speech, language and communication needs, social, emotional and mental health difficulties, and specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia. With an oversubscription ratio of nearly 3:1, this is a school that families need to prioritise on their application. It will suit parents who value strong academic outcomes in a Church of England setting, and who want a large, well-equipped primary with a good reputation for pupil happiness and safety.

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