Birdham CE Primary School
Crooked Lane, Birdham, Chichester, PO20 7HB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Mark McCadden
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chichester
- Constituency
- Chichester
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 147
- Pupils on roll
- 109
- URN
- 125972
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01243512399
About this school
Birdham CE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Chichester. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 109 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. 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 | 22 | 14 | 22 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 59% | 36% | 59% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 18% | 7% | 14% |
| Expected standard in reading | 82% | 71% | 68% |
| Expected standard in maths | 68% | 57% | 77% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 77% | 64% | 64% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.20 | - | - |
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 Birdham CE 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 | West Sussex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 59% | 53.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 36% | 54.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 59% | 56.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 123 |
| 2023/24 | 122 |
| 2024/25 | 129 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Birdham CE Primary School compares
Birdham CE Primary School ranked 104th of 192 primary schools in West Sussex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 38% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 16% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 59% | 8% | 24% | 109 | — |
| Sidlesham Primary School | 60% | 7% | 21.3% | 139 | 2.0 miles |
| East Wittering Community Primary School | 59% | 5.9% | 27.7% | 247 | 2.3 miles |
| Bosham Primary School | 68% | 4.8% | 6.6% | 204 | 2.8 miles |
| West Wittering Parochial Church of England School | 13% | 4.2% | 13.1% | 95 | 3.0 miles |
| Fishbourne CofE Primary School | 83% | 3.6% | 6.7% | 210 | 3.2 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 24.03%
- English as an additional language
- 16.3%
- Overall absence
- 8.03%
- Persistent absence
- 22.61%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sidlesham Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Chichester
-
East Wittering Community Primary School2.3 miles
Primary · Chichester
-
Bosham Primary School2.8 miles
Primary · Chichester
-
West Wittering Parochial Church of England School3.0 miles
Primary · Chichester
-
Fishbourne CofE Primary School3.2 miles
Primary · Chichester
Other schools in Chichester
Birdham CE Primary School ranks 13th of the 23 ranked primary schools in Chichester.
- Aldingbourne Primary School Primary
- Bosham Primary School Primary
- Boxgrove CofE Primary School Primary
- Chidham Parochial Primary School Primary
- Compton and Up Marden CofE Primary School Primary
- East Wittering Community Primary School Primary
- Eastergate CofE Primary School Primary
- Fishbourne CofE Primary School Primary
- Funtington Primary School Primary
- Jessie Younghusband Primary School Primary
- Kingsham Primary School Primary
- Lavant Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Birdham CE Primary School teach?
- Birdham CE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Chichester.
- Who is the headteacher of Birdham CE Primary School?
- The headteacher of Birdham CE Primary School is Mr Mark McCadden, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Birdham CE Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Birdham CE 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 Birdham CE Primary School?
- Birdham CE Primary School has 109 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Birdham CE Primary School full?
- Birdham CE Primary School has capacity for 147 pupils and 109 on roll (74%), 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 Birdham CE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Birdham CE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chichester.
- Does Birdham CE Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Birdham CE Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Birdham CE Primary School'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 59% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Birdham CE Primary School rank locally?
- Birdham CE Primary School ranked 104th of 192 primary schools in West Sussex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 38% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 16% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Birdham CE Primary School's absence rate?
- Birdham CE Primary School's overall absence rate is 8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Birdham CE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Birdham CE 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.