West Park CofE Primary (Controlled) School

About West Park CofE Primary (Controlled) School

West Park CofE Primary (Controlled) School in Worthing sits in an interesting spot when you compare its headline Key Stage 2 results against the West Sussex local authority average. In the 2023/24 academic year, 59% of its pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — that is three percentage points above the LA average of 56%. It is a modest but meaningful gap, and it places the school 88th out of 226 primary schools of the same type in the county. That puts it in the top half of West Sussex primaries, though not among the very top performers. The school’s ranking within Worthing itself is 10th out of 16, which suggests it is a solid, middle-of-the-pack option locally. Its national percentile of roughly 58.6 means it performs slightly better than the average primary school across England, but it is not in the top tier. For parents weighing up options, this is a school that delivers above the local norm without being a standout outlier.

Digging into the detail of those Key Stage 2 results, the picture is mixed across individual subjects. Reading is a clear strength: 75% of pupils met the expected standard and 29% reached the higher standard, with an average scaled score of 105. Writing also looks strong, with 83% meeting expectations, though only 1% hit the higher mark. Maths is more of a concern: 64% reached the expected standard and 15% the higher standard, with an average score of 102. That maths figure is below the national average, and the school’s overall ranking metric of 59 (based on the combined expected standard) places it in the bottom 50 nationally. Ofsted last graded the school as Good in a 2016 inspection, and a more recent ungraded visit in March 2025 confirmed that standards are being maintained. Leadership and management, early years provision and overall effectiveness were all rated Good. The previous inspection in 2013 had rated the school as Requires Improvement, so the trajectory has been positive.

West Park is a large primary school, with 802 pupils on roll against a capacity of 840, and it is clearly popular: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 227 applications for 84 places, making it oversubscribed by a ratio of 2.7 to one. 77 of those 227 applicants put it as their first preference, and all 77 were offered a place. The school has a Church of England character and is a controlled school, meaning the local authority manages admissions. Facilities are generous for a state primary, including a library, ICT suite, art studios, music rooms, a sports hall, playing fields and a Forest School. The SEND provision is broad, covering dyslexia, speech and language needs, autism, hearing and visual impairments, and a resourced provision. Parent View responses from 154 families are largely positive: 86% would recommend the school, and strong majorities agree that children are happy and feel safe. However, only 64% of parents agreed or strongly agreed that SEND children get the support they need, with 36% disagreeing — a notable split worth probing if your child has additional needs.

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