Barcombe Church of England Primary School
Barcombe Cross, Lewes, BN8 5DN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Matthew Dean
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chichester
- Federation
- Skylark Federation
- Constituency
- East Grinstead and Uckfield
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 140
- Pupils on roll
- 132
- URN
- 114488
- Local authority
- East Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01273400287
About this school
Barcombe Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Lewes. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 132 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
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 19 | 18 | 16 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 68% | 61% | 44% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 21% | 22% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 89% | 83% | 56% |
| Expected standard in maths | 74% | 72% | 50% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 84% | 78% | 31% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 111.0 | 106.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 104.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | +4.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.60 | - | - |
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 Barcombe Church of England 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 | 68% | 54.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 61% | 56.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 44% | 57.6% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 136 |
| 2023/24 | 138 |
| 2024/25 | 125 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Barcombe Church of England Primary School compares
Barcombe Church of England Primary School ranked 114th of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 15% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 97% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 44% | 3.3% | 8.8% | 132 | — |
| Hamsey Community Primary School | 70% | 6.1% | 19% | 99 | 1.9 miles |
| Chailey St Peter's Church of England Primary School | 27% | 8.4% | 28.6% | 104 | 2.9 miles |
| Newick Church of England Primary School | 67% | 4.6% | 9.8% | 217 | 3.1 miles |
| Ringmer Primary and Nursery School | — | — | — | 359 | 3.1 miles |
| South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School | 67% | 5.3% | 19.4% | 230 | 3.1 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)
- 8.8%
- English as an additional language
- 4%
- Overall absence
- 3.25%
- Persistent absence
- 3.57%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Hamsey Community Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Lewes
-
Chailey St Peter's Church of England Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Lewes
-
Newick Church of England Primary School3.1 miles
Primary · Lewes
-
Ringmer Primary and Nursery School3.1 miles
Primary · Lewes
-
South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School3.1 miles
Primary · Lewes
Other schools in Lewes
Barcombe Church of England Primary School ranks 11th of the 14 ranked primary schools in Lewes.
- 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
- Plumpton 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 headteacher: 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 Barcombe Church of England Primary School teach?
- Barcombe Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Lewes.
- Who is the headteacher of Barcombe Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of Barcombe Church of England Primary School is Mr Matthew Dean, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Barcombe Church of England Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Barcombe Church of England 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 Barcombe Church of England Primary School?
- Barcombe Church of England Primary School has 132 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Barcombe Church of England Primary School full?
- Barcombe Church of England Primary School has capacity for 140 pupils and 132 on roll (94%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Barcombe Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Barcombe Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chichester.
- Does Barcombe Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Barcombe Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Barcombe Church of England Primary School?
- Barcombe Church of England 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 Barcombe Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 68% in 2022/23 and 44% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Barcombe Church of England Primary School rank locally?
- Barcombe Church of England Primary School ranked 114th of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 15% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 97% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Barcombe Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Barcombe Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Barcombe Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Barcombe Church of England 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.