Heron Way Primary School

Horsham · RH13 6DJ

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 417 pupils, 5.3% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted: Outstanding

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 11% on SEN support Behaviour 3.4% absence rate Staff 11.7% turnover Financials £5,490 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Heron Way Primary School

General Information

Address: Heron Way, Horsham, RH13 6DJ – View on map
Phone: 01403261944
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr James Crump
Age range: 4-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 78 families put it first for 59 places – 13 for every 10 places. 71% of them were offered a place. 1 of the 59 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 12 · 2024 12 · 2025 15 · 2026 13
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

417 pupils out of 420 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 22
% eligible for free school meals: 5.3%
Pupil mix: 4 in 10 (more mixed than the Horsham average)
English as an additional language: 7% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 11.7% a year (Horsham 13.6%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 15% moved to another school, 85% 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: 3.4%
Persistently absent pupils: 3.0%
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

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 11.0%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 2.9%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Specific learning difficulty: 25 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 12 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 3 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 2 pupils
Multi-sensory impairment: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 7 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Social, emotional and mental health: 1 pupil
Multi-sensory 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

Outstanding 2024 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: 95% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 17% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 31 percentage points above the Horsham average (64%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well above (3-year average 92% against an expected 67%)
3-year average (expected standard): 92%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 100% · Writing 98% · Maths 97% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 93%
Average test scores: reading 111, maths 109
Based on: 60 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 schoolHorsham 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 31 percentage points above the Horsham average (64%).

Year 6 SATs: 1st of 38 junior and primary schools in the area

#1Heron Way Primary School95%
#2Barns Green Primary School89%
#3St Robert Southwell Catholic Primary School, Horsham83%

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

#1Heron Way Primary School95%
#2Barns Green Primary School89%
#3St Robert Southwell Catholic Primary School, Horsham83%
#4Kingslea Primary School79%
#5St Peter's CofE (Aided) Primary School78%
#6All Saints CofE Primary School, Horsham77%
#7Arunside School, Horsham75%
=8Billingshurst Primary Academy74%
=8Holbrook Primary School74%
#10Leechpool Primary School73%
#11Castlewood Primary School72%
#12Jolesfield CofE Primary School71%
#13Ashurst CofE Primary School70%
=14Southwater Junior Academy69%
=14St Andrew's CofE Primary School69%
#16North Heath Community Primary School68%
#17St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School67%
#18William Penn School64%
=19Shelley Primary School63%
=19Thakeham Primary School63%
#21Upper Beeding Primary School61%
=22Ashington CofE Primary School60%
=22St John's Catholic Primary School60%
#24Steyning CofE Primary School58%
#25Greenway Junior School57%
#26West Chiltington Community Primary School56%
=27St Mary's CofE Primary School53%
=27Storrington Primary School53%
#29St Peter's CofE Primary School52%
=30Colgate Primary School50%
=30Rudgwick Primary School50%
=30Shipley CofE Primary School50%
#33Warnham CofE Primary School48%
#34Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Lower Beeding40%
#35St Mary's Church of England Primary School39%
#36Oakfields Primary School, Horsham31%
#37St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham20%
#38Slinfold CofE Primary School and Pre School18%

View full Ofsted inspection report

1st of 32 primary schools in Horsham for Ofsted rating

#1Heron Way Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2All Saints CofE Primary School, HorshamGood
#3Amberley CofE 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

#1Heron Way Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2All Saints CofE Primary School, HorshamGood
#3Amberley CofE Primary SchoolGood
#4Arunside School, HorshamGood
#5Ashington CofE Primary SchoolGood
#6Castlewood Primary SchoolGood
#7Colgate Primary SchoolGood
#8Holbrook Primary SchoolGood
#9Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Lower BeedingGood
#10Jolesfield CofE Primary SchoolGood
#11Kilnwood Vale Primary SchoolGood
#12North Heath Community Primary SchoolGood
#13Oakfields Primary School, HorshamGood
#14Rudgwick Primary SchoolGood
#15Shipley CofE Primary SchoolGood
#16Slinfold CofE Primary School and Pre SchoolGood
#17St Andrew's CofE Primary SchoolGood
#18St John's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#19St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#20St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary SchoolGood
#21St Mary's CofE Primary SchoolGood
#22St Peter's CofE Primary SchoolGood
#23St Robert Southwell Catholic Primary School, HorshamGood
#24Steyning CofE Primary SchoolGood
#25Storrington Primary SchoolGood
#26Thakeham Primary SchoolGood
#27Warnham CofE Primary SchoolGood
#28West Chiltington Community Primary SchoolGood
#29Billingshurst Primary AcademyRequires improvement
#30Leechpool Primary SchoolRequires improvement
#31William Penn SchoolRequires improvement
#32Rusper Primary SchoolInadequate

Financials

Spending per pupil: £5,490 (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.

38th of 39 primary schools in Horsham for spending per pupil

#36Kingslea Primary School£5,601
#37North Heath Community Primary School£5,589
#38Heron Way Primary School£5,490
#39Rusper Primary School£3,897

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

#1Amberley CofE Primary School£11,843
#2St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham£11,753
#3William Penn School£9,735
#4Ashurst CofE Primary School£9,260
#5Shipley CofE Primary School£8,695
#6Slinfold CofE Primary School and Pre School£8,443
#7St Peter's CofE (Aided) Primary School£7,855
#8Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Lower Beeding£7,667
#9St Mary's CofE Primary School£7,430
#10Colgate Primary School£7,285
#11Oakfields Primary School, Horsham£7,166
#12Barns Green Primary School£6,873
#13Thakeham Primary School£6,813
#14Steyning CofE Primary School£6,710
#15Jolesfield CofE Primary School£6,454
#16St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School£6,367
#17Kilnwood Vale Primary School£6,227
#18St Robert Southwell Catholic Primary School, Horsham£6,169
#19Upper Beeding Primary School£6,150
#20Arunside School, Horsham£6,128
#21Ashington CofE Primary School£6,082
#22West Chiltington Community Primary School£5,996
#23St John's Catholic Primary School£5,956
#24Storrington Primary School£5,911
#25St Peter's CofE Primary School£5,886
#26St Mary's Church of England Primary School£5,809
#27Holbrook Primary School£5,789
#28Warnham CofE Primary School£5,739
#29Rudgwick Primary School£5,714
#30Leechpool Primary School£5,714
#31All Saints CofE Primary School, Horsham£5,706
#32St Andrew's CofE Primary School£5,674
#33Castlewood Primary School£5,662
#34Shelley Primary School£5,658
#35Billingshurst Primary Academy£5,633
#36Kingslea Primary School£5,601
#37North Heath Community Primary School£5,589
#38Heron Way Primary School£5,490
#39Rusper Primary School£3,897

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

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