Desmond Anderson Primary Academy

Crawley · RH10 5EA

General information Primary School · 2-11 years Who goes here 434 pupils, 23.5% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN Resourced provision · 17.1% on SEN support Behaviour 5.5% absence rate Staff 25.4% turnover Financials £6,385 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Desmond Anderson Primary Academy

General Information

Address: Anderson Road, Tilgate, Crawley, RH10 5EA – View on map
Phone: 01293525596
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Managey Powys
Age range: 2-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 41 families put it first for 42 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 9 · 2024 9 · 2025 9 · 2026 10
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

434 pupils out of 440 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 102
% eligible for free school meals: 23.5%
Pupil mix: 6 in 10 (less mixed than the Crawley average)
English as an additional language: 25% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 25.4% a year (Crawley 15.9%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 31% moved to another school, 69% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across West Sussex: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 12 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
Suspensions for bullying: 10 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 4 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in West Sussex (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 5.5%
Persistently absent pupils: 13.4%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

Resourced provision for Autism 20 places · 20 pupils at the last count

Places are usually for children with an EHC Plan and are arranged through the council, not the normal school application.

Pupils on SEN Support: 17.1%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 6.5%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 26 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 21 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 6 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 6 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 6 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 18 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 7 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Severe learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Vision impairment: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2019 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 51% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 2% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 13 percentage points below the Crawley average (64%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well below (3-year average 49% against an expected 62%)
3-year average (expected standard): 49%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 72% · Writing 71% · Maths 68% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 62%
Average test scores: reading 104, maths 102
Based on: 65 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolCrawley averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 13 percentage points below the Crawley average (64%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 17th of 22 junior and primary schools in the area

=14The Gatwick School59%
#16Three Bridges Primary School53%
=17Desmond Anderson Primary Academy51%
=17Forge Wood Primary School51%
#19St Andrew's CofE Primary School48%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Primary School85%
=2Hilltop Primary School79%
=2Pound Hill Junior School, Crawley79%
=4Broadfield Primary Academy77%
=4Seymour Primary School77%
#6The Mill Primary Academy76%
#7The Oaks Primary School & Nursery72%
#8Langley Green Primary69%
#9St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, Crawley67%
#10The Bewbush Academy64%
=11Maidenbower Junior School63%
=11Waterfield Primary School63%
#13Milton Mount Primary School62%
=14Gossops Green Primary59%
=14The Gatwick School59%
#16Three Bridges Primary School53%
=17Desmond Anderson Primary Academy51%
=17Forge Wood Primary School51%
#19St Andrew's CofE Primary School48%
=20Northgate Primary School47%
=20West Green Primary School47%
#22Southgate Primary45%

View full Ofsted inspection report

3rd of 14 primary schools in Crawley for Ofsted rating

#1Forge Wood Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2Broadfield Primary AcademyGood
#3Desmond Anderson Primary AcademyGood
#4Gossops Green PrimaryGood
#5Hilltop Primary SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Forge Wood Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2Broadfield Primary AcademyGood
#3Desmond Anderson Primary AcademyGood
#4Gossops Green PrimaryGood
#5Hilltop Primary SchoolGood
#6Langley Green PrimaryGood
#7Northgate Primary SchoolGood
#8Seymour Primary SchoolGood
#9Southgate PrimaryGood
#10St Andrew's CofE Primary SchoolGood
#11St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, CrawleyGood
#12St Margaret's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#13West Green Primary SchoolGood
#14Three Bridges Primary SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,385 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

8th of 20 primary schools in Crawley for spending per pupil

#6Three Bridges Primary School£6,619
#7Langley Green Primary£6,511
#8Desmond Anderson Primary Academy£6,385
#9Seymour Primary School£6,317
#10Waterfield Primary School£6,309

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Primary School£7,350
#2Northgate Primary School£6,963
#3St Andrew's CofE Primary School£6,920
#4West Green Primary School£6,892
#5Southgate Primary£6,818
#6Three Bridges Primary School£6,619
#7Langley Green Primary£6,511
#8Desmond Anderson Primary Academy£6,385
#9Seymour Primary School£6,317
#10Waterfield Primary School£6,309
#11The Bewbush Academy£6,224
#12Broadfield Primary Academy£6,196
#13St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, Crawley£5,934
#14Gossops Green Primary£5,701
#15Forge Wood Primary School£5,675
#16Milton Mount Primary School£5,641
#17St Margaret's Church of England Primary School£5,621
#18The Mill Primary Academy£5,523
#19Hilltop Primary School£5,379
#20The Oaks Primary School & Nursery£5,065

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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