South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School
Church Lane, Lewes, BN7 2HS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Charlotte Roberts
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chichester
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Lewes
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 236
- Pupils on roll
- 230
- URN
- 114509
- Local authority
- East Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01273473016
About this school
South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Lewes. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 230 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- 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 | 59 | 28 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 51% | 50% | 67% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 73% | 71% | 90% |
| Expected standard in maths | 63% | 71% | 73% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 56% | 64% | 83% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 105.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -4.00 | - | - |
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 South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery 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 | 51% | 54.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 50% | 56.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 67% | 57.6% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 262 |
| 2023/24 | 237 |
| 2024/25 | 228 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School compares
South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School ranked 56th of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 67% | 5.3% | 19.4% | 230 | — |
| Western Road Community Primary School | 70% | 5% | 7.1% | 214 | 1.0 miles |
| Southover CofE Primary School | 60% | 4.9% | 18.2% | 288 | 1.0 miles |
| Wallands Community Primary and Nursery School | 53% | 6% | 30.7% | 324 | 1.1 miles |
| Hamsey Community Primary School | 70% | 6.1% | 19% | 99 | 2.0 miles |
| Ringmer Primary and Nursery School | — | — | — | 359 | 2.2 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.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 19.42%
- English as an additional language
- 6.1%
- Overall absence
- 5.3%
- Persistent absence
- 11.48%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Western Road Community Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Lewes
-
Southover CofE Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Lewes
-
Wallands Community Primary and Nursery School1.1 miles
Primary · Lewes
-
Hamsey Community Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Lewes
-
Ringmer Primary and Nursery School2.2 miles
Primary · Lewes
Other schools in Lewes
South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School ranks 4th 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
- Plumpton Primary School Primary
- Ringmer Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Southover CofE Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School teach?
- South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Lewes.
- Who is the headteacher of South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School?
- The headteacher of South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School is Mrs Charlotte Roberts, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery 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 South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School?
- South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School has 230 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School full?
- South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School has capacity for 236 pupils and 230 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 South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School a faith school?
- Yes. South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chichester.
- Does South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School as having nursery classes.
- How have South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 51% in 2022/23 and 67% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School rank locally?
- South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School ranked 56th of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School's absence rate?
- South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School's overall absence rate is 5.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery 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 30 June 2026.