St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School
Normandy, Horsham, RH12 1JL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Emma McLaughlin
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chichester
- Constituency
- Horsham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 200
- URN
- 126029
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01403265999
About this school
St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Horsham. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 200 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out 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's most recent visit was a short inspection on 9 January 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 | 28 | 30 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 61% | 67% | 67% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 7% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 75% | 83% | 93% |
| Expected standard in maths | 68% | 90% | 90% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 75% | 90% | 90% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 108.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 106.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.20 | - | - |
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 St Mary's CofE (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 | West Sussex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 61% | 53.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 67% | 54.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 67% | 56.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 204 |
| 2023/24 | 204 |
| 2024/25 | 196 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School compares
St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School ranked 63rd of 192 primary schools in West Sussex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 89% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 67% | 3.8% | 7.1% | 200 | — |
| Arunside School, Horsham | 75% | 4.7% | 12.3% | 413 | 0.6 miles |
| St John's Catholic Primary School | 60% | 5% | 6.5% | 203 | 0.6 miles |
| Greenway Junior School | 57% | 4.1% | 9.1% | 307 | 0.8 miles |
| Trafalgar Community Infant School | — | 3.8% | 6.1% | 194 | 0.8 miles |
| Kingslea Primary School | 79% | 3.3% | 6.1% | 428 | 1.1 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)
- 7.14%
- English as an additional language
- 26%
- Overall absence
- 3.76%
- Persistent absence
- 5.38%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Arunside School, Horsham0.6 miles
Primary · Horsham
-
St John's Catholic Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Horsham
-
Greenway Junior School0.8 miles
Primary · Horsham
-
Trafalgar Community Infant School0.8 miles
Primary · Horsham
-
Kingslea Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Horsham
Other schools in Horsham
St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School ranks 15th 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 ages does St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School teach?
- St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Horsham.
- Who is the headteacher of St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School is Mrs Emma McLaughlin, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary's CofE (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 many pupils are at St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School?
- St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School has 200 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School full?
- St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 200 on roll (95%), 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 Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chichester.
- Does St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 61% in 2022/23 and 67% 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 (Aided) Primary School compare with other schools in West Sussex?
- St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School ranked 63rd of 192 primary schools in West Sussex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 89% 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 (Aided) Primary School's absence rate?
- St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mary's CofE (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.