St Michael's Church of England Primary School
Houghton Green Lane, Playden, Playden Rye, TN31 7PJ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Head of School
- Mrs Lison Smart
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chichester
- Federation
- The Genesis Federation
- Constituency
- Hastings and Rye
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 75
- URN
- 114520
- Local authority
- East Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01797280277
About this school
St Michael's Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Playden Rye. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 75 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Michael's Church of England Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out 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
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- 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 | 11 | 13 | 9 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 55% | 38% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 64% | 62% | 33% |
| Expected standard in maths | 64% | 69% | 33% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 55% | 69% | 22% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 101.0 | 101.0 | 97.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 102.0 | 96.0 |
| Reading progress | -3.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.80 | - | - |
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 St Michael's 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 | 55% | 54.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 38% | 56.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 57.6% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 87 |
| 2023/24 | 92 |
| 2024/25 | 81 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Michael's Church of England Primary School compares
St Michael's Church of England Primary School ranked 131st of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 0% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 29% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 0% | 6.6% | 29.6% | 75 | — |
| Rye Community Primary School | 32% | 7.8% | 47.8% | 202 | 1.2 miles |
| Peasmarsh Church of England Primary School | — | 4.9% | 15.2% | 65 | 2.3 miles |
| Wittersham Church of England Primary School | 79% | 5.9% | 16.9% | 138 | 3.3 miles |
| St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School | 78% | 4.3% | 16.6% | 148 | 3.6 miles |
| Brookland Church of England Primary School | 67% | 4.9% | 27.8% | 94 | 4.4 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)
- 29.63%
- English as an additional language
- 2.5%
- Overall absence
- 6.6%
- Persistent absence
- 20%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Rye Community Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Rye
-
Peasmarsh Church of England Primary School2.3 miles
Primary · Rye
-
Wittersham Church of England Primary School3.3 miles
Primary · Tenterden
-
St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School3.6 miles
Primary · Winchelsea
-
Brookland Church of England Primary School4.4 miles
Primary · Romney Marsh
Common questions
- What ages does St Michael's Church of England Primary School teach?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Playden Rye.
- Who is the head of school of St Michael's Church of England Primary School?
- The head of school of St Michael's Church of England Primary School is Mrs Lison Smart, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Michael's Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Michael's 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 many pupils are at St Michael's Church of England Primary School?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School has 75 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is St Michael's Church of England Primary School full?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School has capacity for 105 pupils and 75 on roll (71%), 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 St Michael's Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Michael's Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chichester.
- Does St Michael's Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Michael's Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is St Michael's Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School is part of the The Genesis Federation federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Michael's 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 55% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Michael's Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in East Sussex?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School ranked 131st of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 0% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 29% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Michael's Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Michael's Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Michael's 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 30 June 2026.