St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, Crawley

About St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, Crawley

St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School in Crawley posts Key Stage 2 results that sit comfortably above the West Sussex local authority average, with 65% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined against an LA average of 56%. That nine-point gap is a meaningful one for a primary school, and it places St Francis 51st out of 226 similar schools across the county — comfortably inside the top quarter. The school’s Progress 8 scores aren’t available in the data, but the raw attainment figures tell a clear story: reading and maths average scores both sit at 107, and 85% of pupils hit the expected standard in maths specifically. The school ranks 8th out of 21 primaries in Crawley itself, putting it in the top half of its immediate local area. For a Roman Catholic state primary with a Good Ofsted rating, these are solid, above-average outcomes that suggest a school delivering reliably for its families.

The school’s most recent graded inspection in 2018 awarded a Good overall, with leadership and management, early years provision, and the quality of education all rated Good. A subsequent ungraded inspection in July 2023 confirmed the school remains Good, so the rating has held steady. The previous inspection in 2016 had rated the school as Requires Improvement, meaning the current leadership team under headteacher Samantha Winton has overseen a clear upward trajectory. In terms of academic stretch, 35% of pupils achieved the higher standard in maths and 23% in reading, though only 3% did so in writing and the combined higher standard sits at the same low figure — so while most children meet expectations, very few are reaching the top tier across all three subjects. The school’s ranking score of 65 places it in the top 50 nationally by this metric, though that’s a broad national tier rather than a precise position.

St Francis is a popular school, oversubscribed for 2025/26 with 155 applications for 59 places and 69 first-preference applications for 58 offers — a ratio of 2.63 applicants per place. It serves 421 pupils against a capacity of 420, so it is effectively full. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 11.4%, slightly below the national average, and the school has dedicated SEND provisions for social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication, and autistic spectrum disorder. Facilities include a chapel, sensory room, sports hall, gymnasium, art studios and playing fields, with clubs ranging from gardening and coding to film and science. For Catholic families in Crawley who want a faith-based primary with above-average results and a stable Good rating, this is a strong local option — though oversubscription means getting a place is far from guaranteed.

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