Herons Dale School
Hawkins Crescent, Shoreham-by-Sea, BN43 6TN
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Community special school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Miss Isabel Robson
- SEN provision
- SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, VI - Visual Impairment, OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, HI - Hearing Impairment, SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, PD - Physical Disability, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- East Worthing and Shoreham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 130
- Pupils on roll
- 146
- URN
- 126169
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01273596904
About this school
Herons Dale School is a community special school in Shoreham-By-Sea. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 146 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Herons Dale School, 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 8 February 2023, 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 | 19 | 23 | 19 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | - | - |
| Reading progress | -8.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -8.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -7.50 | - | - |
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 Herons Dale 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 | 0% | 53.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 54.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 56.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 13.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 11.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 140 |
| 2023/24 | 141 |
| 2024/25 | 145 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 32.41%
- English as an additional language
- 8.3%
- Overall absence
- 11.74%
- Persistent absence
- 34.81%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Shoreham College0.8 miles
Independent schools
-
Hill Park School1.3 miles
Special schools · Brighton
-
Hove Micro-School1.3 miles
Special schools · Southwick
-
Lancing College2.5 miles
Independent schools · Lancing
-
The Lioncare School2.6 miles
Special schools · Hove
Other schools in Shoreham-By-Sea
- Buckingham Park Primary School Primary
- Holmbush Primary Academy Primary
- Shoreham Beach Primary School Primary
- St Nicolas & St Mary CofE Primary School Primary
- St Peter's Catholic Primary School Primary
- Swiss Gardens Primary School Primary
- Shoreham Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Herons Dale School teach?
- Herons Dale School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a special school in Shoreham-By-Sea.
- Who is the headteacher of Herons Dale School?
- The headteacher of Herons Dale School is Miss Isabel Robson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Herons Dale School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Herons Dale 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 Herons Dale School?
- Herons Dale School has 146 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Herons Dale School full?
- Herons Dale School has capacity for 130 pupils and 146 on roll (112%), so it is at or above 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 Herons Dale School a faith school?
- No. Herons Dale School has no designated religious character.
- What SEN provision does Herons Dale School have?
- The schools register lists Herons Dale School's special educational needs provision as: SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty; VI - Visual Impairment; OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability; HI - Hearing Impairment; SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health; MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment; PD - Physical Disability; MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty; SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty; PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Herons Dale School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Herons Dale School's absence rate?
- Herons Dale School's overall absence rate is 11.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Herons Dale School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Herons Dale 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.