St Mary's CofE Primary School
School Lane, Washington, Pulborough, RH20 4AP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Keeley Houston
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chichester
- Constituency
- Arundel and South Downs
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 96
- URN
- 125999
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01903892401
About this school
St Mary's CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Pulborough. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 96 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 8 May 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 | 15 | 14 | 15 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 67% | 50% | 53% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 13% | 0% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 87% | 79% | 80% |
| Expected standard in maths | 80% | 64% | 73% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 87% | 57% | 87% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 105.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 100.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.30 | - | - |
| 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 St Mary's CofE 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 | 67% | 53.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 50% | 54.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 53% | 56.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 96 |
| 2023/24 | 91 |
| 2024/25 | 94 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary's CofE Primary School compares
St Mary's CofE Primary School ranked 129th of 192 primary schools in West Sussex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 26% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 53% | 4.8% | 4.3% | 96 | — |
| Thakeham Primary School | 63% | 4.6% | 11.5% | 104 | 1.7 miles |
| Ashington CofE Primary School | 60% | 4.1% | 5.5% | 190 | 2.0 miles |
| Storrington Primary School | 53% | 6.1% | 13.6% | 361 | 2.4 miles |
| St John the Baptist CofE Primary School | 46% | 4% | 7.4% | 114 | 2.6 miles |
| Steyning CofE Primary School | 58% | 5% | 14.7% | 335 | 3.6 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)
- 4.26%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 4.82%
- Persistent absence
- 11.69%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Thakeham Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Pulborough
-
Ashington CofE Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Pulborough
-
Storrington Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Pulborough
-
St John the Baptist CofE Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Worthing
-
Steyning CofE Primary School3.6 miles
Primary · Steyning
Other schools in Pulborough
St Mary's CofE Primary School ranks 5th of the 8 ranked primary schools in Pulborough.
- Ashington CofE Primary School Primary
- Bury CofE Primary School Primary
- St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham Primary
- St Mary's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Storrington Primary School Primary
- Thakeham Primary School Primary
- West Chiltington Community Primary School Primary
- Dorset House School Independent schools
- Windlesham House School Independent schools
- Lodge Hill Residential Centre Other types
Common questions
- What year groups does St Mary's CofE Primary School teach?
- St Mary's CofE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Pulborough.
- Who is the headteacher of St Mary's CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Mary's CofE Primary School is Mrs Keeley Houston, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Mary's CofE Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary's CofE 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 Mary's CofE Primary School?
- St Mary's CofE Primary School has 96 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Mary's CofE Primary School full?
- St Mary's CofE Primary School has capacity for 105 pupils and 96 on roll (91%), 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 Mary's CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary's CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chichester.
- Does St Mary's CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Mary's CofE Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have St Mary's CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 67% in 2022/23 and 53% 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 Mary's CofE Primary School rank locally?
- St Mary's CofE Primary School ranked 129th of 192 primary schools in West Sussex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 26% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% 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 Mary's CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- St Mary's CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mary's CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mary's CofE 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.