School Chooser

Sidlesham Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedCouncil139 pupilsChichesterWest Sussex
School Chooser Score
5
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 2 to 13
Out of 100. Better than 6% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedRequires improvementLast Ofsted inspection, June 2024
Reached the expected level at 1160%England 63%
Attendance93.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families22%A bit fewer than most schools
Places1 spare139 pupils, 140 places
Pupils per teacher21.5School workforce census

Sidlesham Primary School is a council school in Chichester for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 139 pupils and room for 140. About 22 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 5 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 6% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2024.

Keynor Lane, Sidlesham, Chichester, PO20 7NL01243 641238sidleshamprimaryschool.co.ukMrs Sophia Koiston headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 25 June 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Requires improvement overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Requires improvement
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Requires improvement
Early years
Requires improvement
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

15 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 1160%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score100.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 39%39%20172018: 50%50%20182019: 58%58%20192023: 45%45%20232024: 32%32%20242025: 60%60%2025
Since 2017: +21%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017West SussexEngland
Pupils tested151920192018
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths60%32%45%58%50%39%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%10%5%0%6%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0102.0103.0103.0103.0106.0105.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score100.0100.0100.0102.0101.0101.0103.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score103.0100.0100.0103.0106.0105.0104.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard87%58%50%58%60%72%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard60%63%45%68%50%56%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)73%32%50%79%70%39%
Reading progressReading progress score-1.5-1.7-2.4+1.0
Maths progressMaths progress score-3.4-3.9-3.5-4.1

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.

Nearly full135 pupils for 140 places, 2024/25
96% 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?

The last child to get a place lived 2.7 miles away in 2025, 2.7 miles away in 2024. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.

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. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 2.7 miles from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2025 Primary2021202.7 milesLA
2024 Primary2032202.7 milesLA
2023 Primary201818all offeredLA

The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.

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 roll139Census January 2026
Places14099% full
Pupils from low-income families22%22% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support16%22 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%6 pupils with a plan
Average class size27.85 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%£35,650 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls70 / 69
White British pupils88%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 25.5 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (12), language and communications needs (5), Autistic spectrum disorder (4), Other difficulty or disability (3), emotional and mental health (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll139136128139138136
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals22%21%17%14%16%13%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%2%2%1%1%4%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support14%9%14%16%15%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%5%2%2%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school19.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils19.92024/25, 1 permanent exclusion
Missed without permission2.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence7.0%6.8%7.1%5.8%6.9%3.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.9%4.9%5.1%4.6%6.4%2.9%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.1%1.9%1.9%1.2%0.5%1.0%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence19.7%19.4%21.0%16.7%23.1%8.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate19.910.95.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions10000

Staff and money

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

Teachers6.5full-time equivalent, 7 people
Pupils per teacher21.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants7.1full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,476
Teachers who left in the year27%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.02024/25

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£7,604England £7,738. Total £1.0m
Income per pupil£7,336England £7,697. Total £998k
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,684England £3,480
Money in reserve-8%In the red: -£75k, -£553 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£37kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£7,604spent 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 m1412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate55 per 1,000 people40% lower than the England average
Typical house price£425,000Chichester
Nearest bus stop110 mPrimary School, 4 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
Birdham CE Primary SchoolChurch of England2.0 miles109Good 202231Compare
Medmerry Primary SchoolAcademy2.7 miles211Not inspected38Compare
Seal Primary AcademyAcademy2.9 miles294Good 202344Compare
East Wittering Community Primary SchoolCouncil3.0 miles247Good 202322Compare
Rose Green Infant SchoolCouncil3.4 miles269Good 202352Compare
North Mundham Primary SchoolCouncil3.4 miles206Not inspected39Compare
Rose Green Junior SchoolAcademy3.5 miles385Outstanding 202487Compare
Chichester Free SchoolFree school3.7 miles1,118Good 202459Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Sidlesham 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.

Beats6%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the bottom of its group. Its score of 5 is 34 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 39 · highest 98100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 5 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 5% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 2 to 13. 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%below
-0.11
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 15 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%well below
-0.57
Ofsted grade, 2.2 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.08
DfE progress measure; 15 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.04
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.09
2024/25; 117 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.13
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 15 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 Sidlesham Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Sidlesham Primary School scores 5 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 6% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 2 to 13, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Sidlesham Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Sidlesham Primary School requires improvement at its last full inspection on 25 June 2024.

How good are Sidlesham Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 60% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% 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 Sidlesham Primary School have?

139 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 140 places, so it is 99% full.

Is Sidlesham Primary School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?

Yes. For September 2025 the last place went to a child living 2.7 miles away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.

What is attendance like at Sidlesham Primary School?

Pupils were in school 93.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 20% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Sidlesham Primary School?

The average class had 27.8 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
Keynor Lane, Sidlesham, Chichester, PO20 7NL
Telephone
01243 641238
Website
www.sidleshamprimaryschool.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Sophia Koiston
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
West Sussex
Ward
Sidlesham with Selsey North
Constituency
Chichester
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
125853 · LAESTAB 9382058 · UKPRN 10073866

Where these figures come from