Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School
Lewes Road, Ditchling, BN6 8TU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- HURST EDUCATION TRUST LIMITED
- Interim Leader
- Miss Nikki Elliott
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chichester
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Lewes
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 161
- Pupils on roll
- 243
- URN
- 148917
- Local authority
- East Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01273844130
About this school
Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Ditchling. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 243 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 12 March 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 | 30 | 24 | 31 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 73% | 79% | 81% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 20% | 4% | 19% |
| Expected standard in reading | 80% | 88% | 84% |
| Expected standard in maths | 90% | 79% | 90% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 83% | 71% | 90% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 107.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 106.0 | 109.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.20 | - | - |
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 Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England 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 | East Sussex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 73% | 54.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 79% | 56.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 81% | 57.6% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 187 |
| 2023/24 | 192 |
| 2024/25 | 224 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School compares
Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School ranked 6th of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 89% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 81% | 4.7% | 5.1% | 243 | — |
| The Windmills Junior School | 65% | 3.7% | 7.5% | 363 | 1.1 miles |
| Hassocks Infant School | — | 3.7% | 4.9% | 266 | 1.4 miles |
| Birchwood Grove Community Primary School, Burgess Hill | 76% | 5.5% | 7.1% | 403 | 2.2 miles |
| London Meed Community Primary School | 55% | 5.7% | 15.6% | 415 | 2.3 miles |
| Plumpton Primary School | 50% | 4.3% | 8.5% | 136 | 2.4 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)
- 5.08%
- English as an additional language
- 3.1%
- Overall absence
- 4.66%
- Persistent absence
- 6.63%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Windmills Junior School1.1 miles
Primary · Hassocks
-
Hassocks Infant School1.4 miles
Primary · Hassocks
-
Birchwood Grove Community Primary School, Burgess Hill2.2 miles
Primary · Burgess Hill
-
London Meed Community Primary School2.3 miles
Primary · Burgess Hill
-
Plumpton Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Lewes
Common questions
- What ages does Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School teach?
- Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Ditchling.
- Who is the interim leader of Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School?
- The interim leader of Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School is Miss Nikki Elliott, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England 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 Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School?
- Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School has 243 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School full?
- Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School has capacity for 161 pupils and 243 on roll (151%), 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 Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chichester.
- Does Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School is part of HURST EDUCATION TRUST LIMITED. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 73% in 2022/23 and 81% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in East Sussex?
- Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School ranked 6th of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 89% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England 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 10 July 2026.