William Penn School
Brooks Green Road, Coolham, Horsham, RH13 8GR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Quaker
- Headteacher
- Mr Colin Brookes
- Constituency
- Horsham
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 84
- URN
- 126002
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01403741274
About this school
William Penn School is a Quaker voluntary controlled primary school in Horsham. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 84 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
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Requires improvement
- 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 | 17 | 11 | 11 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 65% | 55% | 64% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 6% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 82% | 64% | 82% |
| Expected standard in maths | 82% | 73% | 73% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 76% | 64% | 45% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 111.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +4.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.50 | - | - |
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 William Penn 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 | 65% | 53.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 55% | 54.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 64% | 56.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 99 |
| 2023/24 | 91 |
| 2024/25 | 81 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How William Penn School compares
William Penn School ranked 78th of 192 primary schools in West Sussex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 50% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 33% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 64% | 6.4% | 16.1% | 84 | — |
| Shipley CofE Primary School | 50% | 8% | 8.1% | 66 | 1.5 miles |
| Barns Green Primary School | 89% | 6.5% | 10.8% | 128 | 2.6 miles |
| Billingshurst Primary Academy | 74% | 4.6% | 13.2% | 596 | 2.7 miles |
| Southwater Infant Academy | — | 3.8% | 5.2% | 230 | 3.2 miles |
| Southwater Junior Academy | 69% | 3.6% | 9% | 445 | 3.3 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)
- 16.05%
- English as an additional language
- 9.9%
- Overall absence
- 6.36%
- Persistent absence
- 20.73%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Shipley CofE Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Horsham
-
Barns Green Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Horsham
-
Billingshurst Primary Academy2.7 miles
Primary · Billingshurst
-
Southwater Infant Academy3.2 miles
Primary · Horsham
-
Southwater Junior Academy3.3 miles
Primary · Horsham
Other schools in Horsham
William Penn School ranks 16th of the 26 ranked primary schools in Horsham.
- All Saints CofE Primary School, Horsham Primary
- Arunside School, Horsham Primary
- Barns Green Primary School Primary
- Castlewood Primary School Primary
- Colgate Primary School Primary
- Greenway Junior School Primary
- Heron Way Primary School Primary
- Holbrook Primary School Primary
- Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Lower Beeding Primary
- Jolesfield CofE Primary School Primary
- Kilnwood Vale Primary School Primary
- Kingslea Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does William Penn School teach?
- William Penn School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Horsham.
- Who is the headteacher of William Penn School?
- The headteacher of William Penn School is Mr Colin Brookes, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was William Penn School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected William Penn 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 William Penn School?
- William Penn School has 84 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is William Penn School full?
- William Penn School has capacity for 105 pupils and 84 on roll (80%), 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 William Penn School a faith school?
- Yes. William Penn School is designated Quaker.
- Does William Penn School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records William Penn School as having no nursery classes.
- How have William Penn School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 65% in 2022/23 and 64% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does William Penn School rank locally?
- William Penn School ranked 78th of 192 primary schools in West Sussex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 50% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 33% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is William Penn School's absence rate?
- William Penn School's overall absence rate is 6.4% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are William Penn School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, William Penn 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.