Orchards Infant School
Nelson Road, Worthing, BN12 6EN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- SPARKLE MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Dr Paul Jones
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Sparkle Multi Academy Trust
- SEN provision
- SLCN - Speech, language and Communication
- Constituency
- Worthing West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 412
- Pupils on roll
- 281
- URN
- 150365
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01903700234
About this school
Orchards Infant School is a primary academy in Worthing. It teaches children aged 3 to 7 and has 281 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Requires improvement
- Personal development
- Requires improvement
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
This inspection took place when the school was registered as Field Place Infant School (URN 125864).
Trends over time
How Orchards Infant 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 255 |
| 2024/25 | 272 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Orchards Infant School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 30% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 6.5% | 22.4% | 281 | — |
| Orchards Junior School | 61% | 6.7% | 33.2% | 496 | 0.0 miles |
| English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing | 47% | 3.9% | 15.6% | 187 | 0.3 miles |
| West Park CofE Primary (Controlled) School | 65% | 5.3% | 12.8% | 760 | 0.5 miles |
| Goring-By-Sea CofE (Aided) Primary School | 73% | 4.2% | 10.3% | 421 | 0.6 miles |
| Hawthorns Primary School | 67% | 9.2% | 36.1% | 173 | 0.6 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)
- 22.36%
- English as an additional language
- 14.3%
- Overall absence
- 6.53%
- Persistent absence
- 19.28%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Orchards Junior School0.0 miles
Primary · Worthing
-
English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing0.3 miles
Primary · Worthing
-
West Park CofE Primary (Controlled) School0.5 miles
Primary · Worthing
-
Goring-By-Sea CofE (Aided) Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Worthing
-
Hawthorns Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Worthing
Other 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
- English Martyrs Catholic 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
Common questions
- What year groups does Orchards Infant School teach?
- Orchards Infant School teaches children aged 3 to 7. It is a primary school in Worthing.
- Who is the headteacher of Orchards Infant School?
- The headteacher of Orchards Infant School is Dr Paul Jones, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Orchards Infant School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Orchards Infant 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 big is Orchards Infant School?
- Orchards Infant School has 281 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 7.
- Is Orchards Infant School full?
- Orchards Infant School has capacity for 412 pupils and 281 on roll (68%), 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 Orchards Infant School a faith school?
- No. Orchards Infant School has no designated religious character.
- Does Orchards Infant School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Orchards Infant School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Orchards Infant School?
- Orchards Infant School is part of SPARKLE MULTI-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 Orchards Infant School have?
- The schools register lists Orchards Infant School's special educational needs provision as: SLCN - Speech, language and Communication. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- What is Orchards Infant School's absence rate?
- Orchards Infant School's overall absence rate is 6.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Orchards Infant School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Orchards Infant School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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 3 July 2026.