The Meads Primary School
About The Meads Primary School
The Meads Primary School is clearly a popular choice among local families, with 96 applications for just 36 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.67. Of those 96 applicants, 35 put the school as their first preference, and all of those received an offer. That level of demand suggests a strong reputation in the Mid Sussex area, and while the school doesn't publish a parent-view survey percentage, the sheer number of first-preference applications is a practical signal of confidence. The school is a state-funded, mixed primary for ages 4 to 11, with a current roll of 289 pupils against a capacity of 320, so there is some headroom, but not much. Headteacher Nicole Essex leads a school that has held a Good rating from Ofsted since its 2015 graded inspection, and an ungraded visit in January 2024 confirmed it remains Good. The early years provision and leadership and management were both rated Good in that inspection, and the school has clearly moved on from its Requires Improvement rating in 2013.
Key Details
The full report on this school
The inspection in plain English, admissions context, and how this school compares to nearby alternatives — all in one full school report.
- Ofsted inspection in plain EnglishStrengths, concerns and what inspectors flagged
- Parent View survey resultsWhat parents told Ofsted — when the school has 10+ responses
- Where Ofsted and parents disagreeGaps to probe + questions to ask at the open day
- Admissions & catchmentAdmission criteria, distance cutoffs (where the LA publishes them)
- Nearby schools comparedBackup options with Ofsted, demand and distance
- Attendance & behaviour dataPersistent absentees, suspensions and exclusions vs national
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
24 Jan 2024Latest monitoring visit (24 Jan 2024): School remains Good
Source: Ofsted, 6 Feb 2015. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
Facilities
5Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
9Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
School day
Teaching hours
08:50 – 15:25
Source: meads.w-sussex.sch.uk. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.
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