William Penn School

About William Penn School

William Penn School, a Quaker primary in Horsham, received a Requires Improvement rating from Ofsted in its most recent graded inspection in July 2024, a downgrade from the Good rating it held previously. The inspection found that the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management all require improvement, though early years provision and personal development were both rated Good. On the most telling academic metric, the school's Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard attainment sits at 55%, just a whisker below the West Sussex local authority average of 56%. This places William Penn 21st out of 35 primary schools in the Horsham district and in the bottom half nationally, though the picture is more nuanced when you look at individual subjects.

Digging into the 2023/24 KS2 results, the school's reading and maths average scaled scores are 103 and 104 respectively, both above the national benchmark of 100. However, the proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard in reading is 36%, while in maths it drops to 9%, and no pupils achieved the higher standard in writing. The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in maths is a solid 73%, compared with 64% in reading and 55% in writing. This suggests that while the school is broadly in line with local averages for combined attainment, there is significant variation between subjects, with writing being a particular area of focus. The school's ranking score of 55 places it 101st out of 226 primary schools in West Sussex, well behind top-performing local peers like Barns Green and Heron Way, which both scored 86.

The school is heavily oversubscribed for Reception entry in 2025/26, receiving 42 applications for just 13 places, with 12 of those going to first-preference families. This suggests strong local demand despite the Ofsted rating. Facilities include a sensory room, chapel, art studios, and a sports hall, and the school offers clubs ranging from book club and choir to coding and drama. Sports provision includes swimming, athletics, gymnastics and tennis. The school has identified SEND support for specific learning difficulties, speech and language needs, autistic spectrum disorder, and social and emotional mental health needs. With just 81 pupils on roll against a capacity of 105, and 14.8% of pupils eligible for free school meals, this is a small, community-focused primary that may suit families who value its Quaker character and are comfortable with a school that is actively working on improvements flagged by Ofsted.

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