English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing
Derwent Drive, Goring-by-Sea, Worthing, BN12 6LA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Dr Helen Townsley
- Diocese
- Diocese of Arundel and Brighton
- Constituency
- Worthing West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 187
- URN
- 126051
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01903502868
About this school
English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided primary school in Worthing. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 187 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit 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 | 25 | 19 | 19 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 52% | 37% | 47% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 72% | 53% | 58% |
| Expected standard in maths | 68% | 58% | 68% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 68% | 63% | 68% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 103.0 | 101.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 102.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.80 | - | - |
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 English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing 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 | 52% | 53.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 37% | 54.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 47% | 56.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 161 |
| 2023/24 | 160 |
| 2024/25 | 180 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing compares
English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing ranked 158th of 192 primary schools in West Sussex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 18% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 47% | 3.9% | 15.6% | 187 | — |
| Orchards Junior School | 61% | 6.7% | 33.2% | 496 | 0.3 miles |
| Orchards Infant School | — | 6.5% | 22.4% | 281 | 0.3 miles |
| Hawthorns Primary School | 67% | 9.2% | 36.1% | 173 | 0.5 miles |
| The Laurels Primary School, Worthing | 35% | 4.9% | 25.9% | 193 | 0.7 miles |
| Durrington Junior School | 70% | 4.9% | 25.2% | 334 | 0.7 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)
- 15.56%
- English as an additional language
- 7.2%
- Overall absence
- 3.85%
- Persistent absence
- 10.56%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Orchards Junior School0.3 miles
Primary · Worthing
-
Orchards Infant School0.3 miles
Primary · Worthing
-
Hawthorns Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Worthing
-
The Laurels Primary School, Worthing0.7 miles
Primary · Worthing
-
Durrington Junior School0.7 miles
Primary · Worthing
Other schools in Worthing
English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing ranks 16th of the 20 ranked primary schools in Worthing.
- Bramber Primary School Primary
- Broadwater CofE Primary School Primary
- Clapham and Patching CofE Primary School Primary
- Downsbrook Primary School Primary
- Durrington Infant School Primary
- Durrington Junior School Primary
- Elm Grove Primary School, Worthing Primary
- Ferring C of E Primary School Primary
- Goring-By-Sea CofE (Aided) Primary School Primary
- Hawthorns Primary School Primary
- Heene CofE Primary School Primary
- Homefield Primary School and SSC Primary
Common questions
- What ages does English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing teach?
- English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Worthing.
- Who is the headteacher of English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing?
- The headteacher of English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing is Dr Helen Townsley, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing, 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 English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing?
- English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing has 187 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing full?
- English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing has capacity for 210 pupils and 187 on roll (89%), 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 English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing a faith school?
- Yes. English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton.
- Does English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing as having no nursery classes.
- How have English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 52% in 2022/23 and 47% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing compare with other schools in West Sussex?
- English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing ranked 158th of 192 primary schools in West Sussex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 18% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing's absence rate?
- English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing's overall absence rate is 3.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing'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.