St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School
Friars Road, Winchelsea, TN36 4ED
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Dale Saxby
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chichester
- Constituency
- Hastings and Rye
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 150
- Pupils on roll
- 148
- URN
- 114563
- Local authority
- East Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01797226479
About this school
St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Winchelsea. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 148 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 3 October 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 | 22 | 17 | 18 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 50% | 65% | 78% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 9% | 0% | 22% |
| Expected standard in reading | 59% | 76% | 94% |
| Expected standard in maths | 64% | 76% | 89% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 59% | 35% | 78% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 103.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.00 | - | - |
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 St Thomas' Church of England Aided 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 | 50% | 54.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 65% | 56.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 78% | 57.6% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 135 |
| 2023/24 | 131 |
| 2024/25 | 139 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School compares
St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School ranked 15th of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 84% 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 | 78% | 4.3% | 16.6% | 148 | — |
| Icklesham Church of England Primary School and Nursery | 80% | 4.7% | 19.4% | 121 | 1.9 miles |
| Rye Community Primary School | 32% | 7.8% | 47.8% | 202 | 2.3 miles |
| Peasmarsh Church of England Primary School | — | 4.9% | 15.2% | 65 | 3.4 miles |
| St Michael's Church of England Primary School | 0% | 6.6% | 29.6% | 75 | 3.6 miles |
| Guestling Bradshaw Church of England Primary School | 75% | 6% | 24.2% | 194 | 3.9 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)
- 16.55%
- English as an additional language
- 0.7%
- Overall absence
- 4.34%
- Persistent absence
- 12.4%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Icklesham Church of England Primary School and Nursery1.9 miles
Primary · Winchelsea
-
Rye Community Primary School2.3 miles
Primary · Rye
-
Peasmarsh Church of England Primary School3.4 miles
Primary · Rye
-
St Michael's Church of England Primary School3.6 miles
Primary · Playden Rye
-
Guestling Bradshaw Church of England Primary School3.9 miles
Primary · Hastings
Other schools in Winchelsea
Common questions
- What year groups does St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School teach?
- St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Winchelsea.
- Who is the headteacher of St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School is Mr Dale Saxby, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Thomas' Church of England Aided 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 St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School?
- St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School has 148 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School full?
- St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School has capacity for 150 pupils and 148 on roll (99%), 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 St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chichester.
- Does St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 50% in 2022/23 and 78% 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 Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School rank locally?
- St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School ranked 15th of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 84% 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 St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School's absence rate?
- St Thomas' Church of England Aided 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 St Thomas' Church of England Aided Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Thomas' Church of England Aided 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.