School Chooser

Maidenbower Junior School

Primary · ages 7-11MixedCouncil559 pupilsCrawleyWest Sussex
School Chooser Score
42
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 28 to 58
Out of 100. Better than 11% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, October 2022
Reached the expected level at 1163%England 63%
Attendance95.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families13%Far fewer than most schools
Places41 spare559 pupils, 600 places
Pupils per teacher19.8School workforce census

Maidenbower Junior School is a council school in Crawley for boys and girls aged 7 to 11. It has 559 pupils and room for 600. About 13 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 42 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 11% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Harvest Road, Maidenbower, Crawley, RH10 7RA01293 883758maidenbowerjunior.co.ukMr Simon Pike headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 13 October 2022 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

148 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1163%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level2%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score104.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 53%53%20172018: 69%69%20182019: 69%69%20192023: 66%66%20232024: 49%49%20242025: 63%63%2025
Since 2017: +10%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017West SussexEngland
Pupils tested148139148150149150
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths63%49%66%69%69%53%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths2%5%7%11%8%1%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0104.0107.0104.0105.0104.0105.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score104.0104.0105.0107.0106.0103.0103.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0103.0105.0105.0106.0104.0104.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard77%72%81%77%81%77%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard76%69%81%92%88%75%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)72%65%77%80%85%69%
Reading progressReading progress score+1.2-0.7-0.5-1.4
Maths progressMaths progress score+0.3+0.9+1.6-1.6
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged41%19%47%32%63%24%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged67%53%68%76%70%57%

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.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 4 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
41%67%
Gap 26 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
64%61%
Gap 3 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
58%63%
Gap 5 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%2%
Gap 2 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Nearly full579 pupils for 600 places, 2024/25
97% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Will my child get a place?

In 2025 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 2025. Every child who applied got a place (124 offers for 150 places).

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2025 Primary150123124all 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 roll559Census January 2026
Places60093% full
Pupils from low-income families13%13% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English17%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support18%101 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan7%39 pupils with a plan
Average class size28.020 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils5%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)13%£111,600 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls304 / 255
White British pupils65%

Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) with 18 pupils, for autism.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in West Sussex with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (40), Autistic spectrum disorder (29), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (28), language and communications needs (26), Specific learning difficulty (8), Moderate learning difficulty (4).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll559579570566588597
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals13%12%12%13%11%9%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language17%17%13%12%11%10%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support14%14%13%15%14%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%5%4%3%4%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school7.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils2.32024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.0%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.6%4.6%4.3%5.4%3.3%3.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.6%3.7%3.4%4.4%3.0%2.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.0%0.9%0.9%1.0%0.3%0.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence7.7%9.3%9.1%11.3%6.9%4.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate2.31.11.21.00.7
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers28.3full-time equivalent, 33 people
Pupils per teacher19.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants29.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,193
Teachers who left in the year7%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.22024/25

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£6,428England £7,738. Total £3.7m
Income per pupil£6,287England £7,697. Total £3.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,257England £3,480
Money in reserve6%Not much put by: £226k, £391 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£82kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£6,428spent 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 m20712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate38 per 1,000 people58% lower than the England average
Typical house price£350,000Crawley
Nearest bus stop140 mMaidenbower Place, 14 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
Maidenbower Infant School and NurseryCouncil90 m249No overall grade 202591Compare
Brook Infant School and NurseryCouncil510 m172Good 202456Compare
St Andrew's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England0.8 miles208Good 202230Compare
Pound Hill Junior School, CrawleyCouncil0.8 miles352Good 202481Compare
Pound Hill Infant AcademyAcademy0.8 miles269No overall grade 202591Compare
Three Bridges Primary SchoolCouncil1.1 miles600Requires improvement 20245Compare
The Oaks Primary School & NurseryAcademy1.1 miles449No overall grade 202457Compare
Milton Mount Primary SchoolAcademy1.3 miles618Report card 202627Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Maidenbower Junior 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.

Beats11%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 42 is 30 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 7 · middle 72 · highest 99100

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 Maidenbower Junior 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
Bolnore Village Primary SchoolAcademy8.3 miles424Good 201974Compare
Northlands Wood Primary AcademyAcademy8.4 miles419Not inspected60Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 42 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 42% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 28 to 58. 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
-0.04
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 148 pupils
Ofsted inspection18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.9 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
+0.05
DfE progress measure; 148 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.07
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.06
2024/25; 594 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.11
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 148 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 Maidenbower Junior School a good school?

It is about average. Maidenbower Junior School scores 42 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 11% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 28 to 58, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Maidenbower Junior School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Maidenbower Junior School good at its last full inspection on 13 October 2022.

How good are Maidenbower Junior School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 63% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 2% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Maidenbower Junior School have?

559 pupils aged 7 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 600 places, so it is 93% full.

Is Maidenbower Junior School oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at Maidenbower Junior School?

Pupils were in school 95.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 8% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Maidenbower Junior School?

The average class had 28.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 5% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does Maidenbower Junior School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) for autism. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

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

Contact and details

Address
Harvest Road, Maidenbower, Crawley, RH10 7RA
Telephone
01293 883758
Website
www.maidenbowerjunior.co.uk
Headteacher
Mr Simon Pike
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 7-11
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
West Sussex
Ward
Maidenbower
Constituency
Crawley
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 1999
URN
131603 · LAESTAB 9382255 · UKPRN 10076704

Where these figures come from