School Chooser

Beckley Church of England Primary School

Primary · ages 5-11MixedChurch of England83 pupilsRyeEast Sussex
School Chooser Score
39
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 15 to 72, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 40% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, January 2024
Reached the expected level at 1150%England 63%
Attendance94.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families17%Far fewer than most schools
Places22 spare83 pupils, 105 places
Pupils per teacher15.9School workforce census

Beckley Church of England Primary School is a Church of England school (voluntary controlled) in Rye for boys and girls aged 5 to 11. It has 83 pupils and room for 105. About 17 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 39 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 40% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Main Street, Beckley, Rye, TN31 6RN01797 260324beckley.e-sussex.sch.ukMr Simon Thurston head of schoolAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 31 January 2024 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

12 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 1150%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level8%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score103.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score108.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 85%85%20172018: 92%92%20182019: 82%82%20192023: 80%80%20232024: 59%59%20242025: 50%50%2025
Since 2017: -35%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017East SussexEngland
Pupils tested121715171213
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths50%59%80%82%92%85%61%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths8%0%7%24%0%23%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0110.0109.0108.0110.0111.0105.5105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score108.0112.0108.0107.0107.0112.0103.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score102.0109.0110.0104.0105.0109.0103.5105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard58%71%87%82%100%100%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard83%82%93%88%92%100%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)50%71%80%88%92%85%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.5+1.7+3.3+4.9
Maths progressMaths progress score+0.0-0.8+1.4+6.3
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged85%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places89 pupils for 105 places, 2024/25
85% full

16 places were empty (15% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (10 offers for 15 places). 10 families put it down as their first choice and 10 of them got in (100%).

EntryPlacesPut it firstApplied at allGot a placeFirst choices who got inHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary15102110100%all offeredLA

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll83Census January 2026
Places10579% full
Pupils from low-income families17%17% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English0%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support17%14 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%1 pupil with a plan
Average class size20.84 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)17%£21,700 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls45 / 38
White British pupils95%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 16.5 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 25.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (6), language and communications needs (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Physical disability (2), Specific learning difficulty (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll839095969092
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals17%16%12%15%11%11%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%0%1%0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support21%22%19%13%11%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%0%0%0%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school11.4%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.3%5.6%3.9%6.8%3.8%5.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.9%3.6%2.5%5.0%2.6%4.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.3%1.9%1.4%1.8%1.1%0.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence11.4%17.3%8.8%17.5%6.5%12.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers5.2full-time equivalent, 8 people
Pupils per teacher15.9Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants3.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,648
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.02024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£7,524England £7,738. Total £677k
Income per pupil£7,603England £7,697. Total £684k
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,802England £3,480
Money in reserve4%Not much put by: £24k, £271 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£7,135it took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,524spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate63 per 1,000 people31% lower than the England average
Typical house price£360,000Rother
Nearest bus stop80 mSchool, 2 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Northiam Church of England Primary School and NurseryAcademy1.4 miles159Not inspected77Compare
Peasmarsh Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England2.5 miles65Good 202455Compare
Brede Primary SchoolCouncil3.0 miles97Report card 202677Compare
Wittersham Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England3.4 miles138No overall grade 202575Compare
Sandhurst Primary SchoolCouncil4.2 miles179Not inspected60Compare
Staplecross Methodist Primary SchoolMethodist4.4 miles88No overall grade 202525Compare
Bodiam Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England4.5 miles85No overall grade 202523Compare
Rolvenden Primary SchoolAcademy4.5 miles90Good 202454Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Beckley Church of England Primary School with the 47 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats40%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 39 is 5 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 44 · highest 94100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 47 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Beckley Church of England Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Frittenden Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England10.8 miles100No overall grade 202557Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 39 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 39% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 15 to 72. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
-0.02
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 12 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.6 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.04
DfE progress measure; 12 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.18
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.02
2024/25; 79 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%above
+0.07
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 12 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Beckley Church of England Primary School a good school?

It is about average. Beckley Church of England Primary School scores 39 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 40% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 15 to 72, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Beckley Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Beckley Church of England Primary School good at its last full inspection on 31 January 2024.

How good are Beckley Church of England Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 50% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 8% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Beckley Church of England Primary School have?

83 pupils aged 5 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 105 places, so it is 79% full.

Is Beckley Church of England Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 16 places were empty in 2024/25 (15% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Beckley Church of England Primary School?

Pupils were in school 94.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 11% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Beckley Church of England Primary School?

The average class had 20.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Main Street, Beckley, Rye, TN31 6RN
Telephone
01797 260324
Website
www.beckley.e-sussex.sch.uk
Head of School
Mr Simon Thurston
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary controlled) (Voluntary controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 5-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Chichester
Local authority
East Sussex
Ward
Northern Rother
Constituency
Bexhill and Battle
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
114490 · LAESTAB 8453004 · UKPRN 10071022

Where these figures come from