Plumpton Primary School
Southdowns, Plumpton Green, Lewes, BN7 3EB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Head of School
- Mr Matthew Dean
- Federation
- Skylark Federation
- Constituency
- Lewes
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 140
- Pupils on roll
- 136
- URN
- 114410
- Local authority
- East Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01273890338
About this school
Plumpton Primary School is a community primary school in Lewes. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 136 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 4 May 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 17 | 18 | 16 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 59% | 78% | 50% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 17% | 6% |
| Expected standard in reading | 76% | 78% | 63% |
| Expected standard in maths | 76% | 83% | 63% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 53% | 78% | 63% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 107.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 104.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.80 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Plumpton Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | East Sussex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 59% | 54.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 78% | 56.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 50% | 57.6% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 127 |
| 2023/24 | 134 |
| 2024/25 | 130 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Plumpton Primary School compares
Plumpton Primary School ranked 103rd of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 21% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 50% | 4.3% | 8.5% | 136 | — |
| Wivelsfield Primary School and Nursery | 69% | 5.2% | 5.5% | 242 | 2.3 miles |
| Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School | 81% | 4.7% | 5.1% | 243 | 2.4 miles |
| Chailey St Peter's Church of England Primary School | 27% | 8.4% | 28.6% | 104 | 2.6 miles |
| Hamsey Community Primary School | 70% | 6.1% | 19% | 99 | 2.8 miles |
| Birchwood Grove Community Primary School, Burgess Hill | 76% | 5.5% | 7.1% | 403 | 3.0 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 8.46%
- English as an additional language
- 3.8%
- Overall absence
- 4.3%
- Persistent absence
- 10.08%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Wivelsfield Primary School and Nursery2.3 miles
Primary · Wivelsfield Green
-
Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Ditchling
-
Chailey St Peter's Church of England Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Lewes
-
Hamsey Community Primary School2.8 miles
Primary · Lewes
-
Birchwood Grove Community Primary School, Burgess Hill3.0 miles
Primary · Burgess Hill
Other schools in Lewes
Plumpton Primary School ranks 10th of the 14 ranked primary schools in Lewes.
- Barcombe Church of England Primary School Primary
- Chailey St Peter's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Chiddingly Primary School Primary
- East Hoathly CofE Primary School Primary
- Firle Church of England Primary School Primary
- Hamsey Community Primary School Primary
- Iford and Kingston Church of England Primary School Primary
- Laughton Community Primary School Primary
- Newick Church of England Primary School Primary
- Ringmer Primary and Nursery School Primary
- South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Southover CofE Primary School Primary
Recorded changes at this school
Previous head of school: Mr Stewart James (until July 2026).
- Headteacher changed from Mr Stewart James to Mr Matthew Dean recorded 14 Jul 2026
Common questions
- What year groups does Plumpton Primary School teach?
- Plumpton Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Lewes.
- Who is the head of school of Plumpton Primary School?
- The head of school of Plumpton Primary School is Mr Matthew Dean, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Plumpton Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Plumpton Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Plumpton Primary School?
- Plumpton Primary School has 136 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Plumpton Primary School full?
- Plumpton Primary School has capacity for 140 pupils and 136 on roll (97%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Plumpton Primary School a faith school?
- No. Plumpton Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Plumpton Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Plumpton Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Plumpton Primary School?
- Plumpton Primary School is part of the Skylark Federation federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Plumpton Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 59% in 2022/23 and 50% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Plumpton Primary School rank locally?
- Plumpton Primary School ranked 103rd of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 21% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Plumpton Primary School's absence rate?
- Plumpton Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Plumpton Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Plumpton Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 14 July 2026.