Ashurst CofE Primary School
School Lane, Ashurst, Steyning, BN44 3AY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Headteacher Sarah Smith
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chichester
- Constituency
- Arundel and South Downs
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 56
- Pupils on roll
- 48
- URN
- 126020
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01403710426
About this school
Ashurst CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Steyning. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 48 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
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. 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 | 12 | 10 | 10 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 33% | 50% | 70% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 75% | 70% | 80% |
| Expected standard in maths | 75% | 60% | 80% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 75% | 80% | 90% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 102.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 101.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.70 | - | - |
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 Ashurst 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 | 33% | 53.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 50% | 54.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 70% | 56.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 51 |
| 2023/24 | 55 |
| 2024/25 | 53 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Ashurst CofE Primary School compares
Ashurst CofE Primary School ranked 43rd of 192 primary schools in West Sussex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 19% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 70% | 7.6% | 13.2% | 48 | — |
| St Peter's CofE Primary School | 52% | 4.4% | 14.6% | 354 | 2.1 miles |
| Jolesfield CofE Primary School | 71% | 3.4% | 9.3% | 152 | 2.4 miles |
| Steyning CofE Primary School | 58% | 5% | 14.7% | 335 | 2.6 miles |
| Ashington CofE Primary School | 60% | 4.1% | 5.5% | 190 | 2.9 miles |
| Upper Beeding Primary School | 61% | 4.4% | 12.9% | 298 | 3.4 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)
- 13.21%
- English as an additional language
- 5.7%
- Overall absence
- 7.63%
- Persistent absence
- 14.29%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Peter's CofE Primary School2.1 miles
Primary · Henfield
-
Jolesfield CofE Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Horsham
-
Steyning CofE Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Steyning
-
Ashington CofE Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Pulborough
-
Upper Beeding Primary School3.4 miles
Primary · Steyning
Other schools in Steyning
- Steyning CofE Primary School Primary
- Upper Beeding Primary School Primary
- Steyning Grammar School Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does Ashurst CofE Primary School teach?
- Ashurst CofE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Steyning.
- Who is the headteacher of Ashurst CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of Ashurst CofE Primary School is Headteacher Sarah Smith, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Ashurst CofE Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Ashurst 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 Ashurst CofE Primary School?
- Ashurst CofE Primary School has 48 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Ashurst CofE Primary School full?
- Ashurst CofE Primary School has capacity for 56 pupils and 48 on roll (86%), 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 Ashurst CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Ashurst CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chichester.
- Does Ashurst CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Ashurst CofE Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Ashurst CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 33% in 2022/23 and 70% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Ashurst CofE Primary School rank locally?
- Ashurst CofE Primary School ranked 43rd of 192 primary schools in West Sussex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 19% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Ashurst CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- Ashurst CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 7.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Ashurst CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Ashurst 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.