Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery
Sparrows Green Road, Sparrow Green, Wadhurst, TN5 6SR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr David Hemsley
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chichester
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Federation
- The Bewl Federation
- Constituency
- Sussex Weald
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 325
- Pupils on roll
- 269
- URN
- 114532
- Local authority
- East Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01892783155
About this school
Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Wadhurst. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 269 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 31 January 2024, 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 | 41 | 31 | 38 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 59% | 58% | 66% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 13% | 5% |
| Expected standard in reading | 80% | 74% | 89% |
| Expected standard in maths | 71% | 74% | 74% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 63% | 74% | 68% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.70 | - | - |
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 Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery 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 | 58% | 56.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 66% | 57.6% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 321 |
| 2023/24 | 307 |
| 2024/25 | 296 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery compares
Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery ranked 59th of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 55% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 66% | 4.9% | 13.6% | 269 | — |
| Stonegate Church of England Primary School | 46% | 5.7% | 9.4% | 116 | 3.0 miles |
| Mark Cross Church of England Aided Primary School | 73% | 5.1% | 3.5% | 91 | 3.4 miles |
| Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School | 55% | 4.7% | 9.7% | 201 | 3.4 miles |
| Frant Church of England Primary School | 50% | 4% | 7.3% | 96 | 3.6 miles |
| Ticehurst and Flimwell Church of England Primary School | 31% | 5.5% | 55.2% | 103 | 3.8 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)
- 13.62%
- English as an additional language
- 2.7%
- Overall absence
- 4.93%
- Persistent absence
- 11.11%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Stonegate Church of England Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Wadhurst
-
Mark Cross Church of England Aided Primary School3.4 miles
Primary · Crowborough
-
Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School3.4 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
-
Frant Church of England Primary School3.6 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
-
Ticehurst and Flimwell Church of England Primary School3.8 miles
Primary · Wadhurst
Other schools in Wadhurst
- Stonegate Church of England Primary School Primary
- Ticehurst and Flimwell Church of England Primary School Primary
- Uplands Academy Secondary
- Bricklehurst Manor School Special schools
- The Mount Camphill Community Ltd Other types
Common questions
- What year groups does Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery teach?
- Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Wadhurst.
- Who is the headteacher of Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery?
- The headteacher of Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery is Mr David Hemsley, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery, 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 Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery?
- Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery has 269 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery full?
- Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery has capacity for 325 pupils and 269 on roll (83%), 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 Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery a faith school?
- Yes. Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chichester.
- Does Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery?
- Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery is part of the The Bewl Federation federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery'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 66% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery rank locally?
- Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery ranked 59th of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 55% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery's absence rate?
- Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery's overall absence rate is 4.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Wadhurst CofE Primary School and Nursery'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.