Desmond Anderson Primary Academy
Anderson Road, Tilgate, Crawley, RH10 5EA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- REACH2 ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Managey Powys
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- REAch2 Academy Trust
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Crawley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 440
- Pupils on roll
- 434
- URN
- 143973
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01293525596
About this school
Desmond Anderson Primary Academy is a primary academy in Crawley. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 434 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Desmond Anderson Primary Academy, 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
- Requires improvement
- Safeguarding
- Effective
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found that standards have been maintained.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 61 | 58 | 65 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 49% | 47% | 51% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 64% | 62% | 72% |
| Expected standard in maths | 69% | 55% | 68% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 66% | 57% | 62% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 101.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 100.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.90 | - | - |
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 Desmond Anderson Primary Academy 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 | 49% | 53.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 47% | 54.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 51% | 56.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 450 |
| 2023/24 | 434 |
| 2024/25 | 434 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Desmond Anderson Primary Academy compares
Desmond Anderson Primary Academy ranked 140th of 192 primary schools in West Sussex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 49% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 51% | 5.5% | 23.9% | 434 | — |
| Broadfield Primary Academy | 77% | 6.2% | 34.7% | 502 | 0.5 miles |
| Southgate Primary | 45% | 6% | 36.1% | 267 | 0.5 miles |
| The Oaks Primary School & Nursery | 72% | 5.1% | 21.9% | 449 | 0.6 miles |
| Hilltop Primary School | 79% | 5.4% | 26.7% | 658 | 0.6 miles |
| St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, Crawley | 67% | 4.3% | 11.4% | 415 | 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.
Inspection history
-
Ungraded inspection report25 June 2025
- 15 October 2019
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 23.88%
- English as an additional language
- 22.4%
- Overall absence
- 5.46%
- Persistent absence
- 13.41%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Broadfield Primary Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Crawley
-
Southgate Primary0.5 miles
Primary · Crawley
-
The Oaks Primary School & Nursery0.6 miles
Primary · Crawley
-
Hilltop Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Crawley
-
St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, Crawley0.7 miles
Primary · Crawley
Other schools in Crawley
Desmond Anderson Primary Academy ranks 17th of the 23 ranked primary schools in Crawley.
- Broadfield Primary Academy Primary
- Brook Infant School and Nursery Primary
- Crawley Down Village CofE School Primary
- Fairway Infant School, Copthorne Primary
- Forge Wood Primary School Primary
- Gossops Green Primary Primary
- Hilltop Primary School Primary
- Langley Green Primary Primary
- Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery Primary
- Maidenbower Junior School Primary
- Milton Mount Primary School Primary
- Northgate Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Desmond Anderson Primary Academy teach?
- Desmond Anderson Primary Academy teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Crawley.
- Who is the headteacher of Desmond Anderson Primary Academy?
- The headteacher of Desmond Anderson Primary Academy is Mrs Managey Powys, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Desmond Anderson Primary Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Desmond Anderson Primary Academy, 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 Desmond Anderson Primary Academy?
- Desmond Anderson Primary Academy has 434 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Desmond Anderson Primary Academy full?
- Desmond Anderson Primary Academy has capacity for 440 pupils and 434 on roll (99%), 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 Desmond Anderson Primary Academy a faith school?
- No. Desmond Anderson Primary Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Desmond Anderson Primary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Desmond Anderson Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Desmond Anderson Primary Academy part of an academy trust?
- Desmond Anderson Primary Academy is part of REACH2 ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Desmond Anderson Primary Academy have?
- The schools register lists Desmond Anderson Primary Academy's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Desmond Anderson Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 49% in 2022/23 and 51% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Desmond Anderson Primary Academy compare with other schools in West Sussex?
- Desmond Anderson Primary Academy ranked 140th of 192 primary schools in West Sussex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 49% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Desmond Anderson Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Desmond Anderson Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 5.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Desmond Anderson Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Desmond Anderson Primary Academy'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 10 July 2026.