River Beach Primary School

Arun · BN17 6EW

General information Primary School · 3-11 years Who goes here 665 pupils, 27% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN Resourced provision · 13.2% on SEN support Behaviour 7.0% absence rate Staff 12.1% turnover Financials £6,137 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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River Beach Primary School

General Information

Address: York Road, Littlehampton, BN17 6EW – View on map
Phone: 01903725500
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Dave Ayers
Age range: 3-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 65 families put it first for 68 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 11 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

665 pupils out of 700 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 175
% eligible for free school meals: 27.0%
Pupil mix: 4 in 10 (more mixed than the Arun average)
English as an additional language: 19% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 12.1% a year (Arun 11.6%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 23% moved to another school, 77% 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: 7.0%
Persistently absent pupils: 19.5%
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 Hearing impairment 3 places · 3 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: 13.2%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.9%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 33 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 26 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 24 pupils
Physical disability: 2 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 10 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 9 pupils
Hearing impairment: 4 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Social, emotional and mental health: 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: 58% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 6% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: in line with the Arun average (57%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 61% against an expected 59%)
3-year average (expected standard): 61%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 64% · Writing 75% · Maths 73% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 68%
Average test scores: reading 103, maths 103
Based on: 84 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 schoolArun averageEngland↘ Falling Down 5 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was in line with the Arun average (57%).

Year 6 SATs: 14th of 28 junior and primary schools in the area

#12Walberton and Binsted CofE Primary School60%
#13Edward Bryant School59%
#14River Beach Primary School58%
=15Bartons Primary School, Bognor Regis56%
=15Georgian Gardens Community Primary School56%

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

#1Arundel CofE Primary School90%
#2South Bersted CofE Primary School78%
#3Barnham Primary School74%
#4Ferring C of E Primary School70%
=5Rose Green Junior School69%
=5St Mary's CofE Primary School69%
#7St Wilfrids Catholic Primary School65%
#8White Meadows Primary Academy64%
=9Aldingbourne Primary School63%
=9Nyewood CofE Junior School63%
#11St Margaret's CofE Primary School61%
#12Walberton and Binsted CofE Primary School60%
#13Edward Bryant School59%
#14River Beach Primary School58%
=15Bartons Primary School, Bognor Regis56%
=15Georgian Gardens Community Primary School56%
=15Rustington Community Primary School56%
#18East Preston Junior School53%
#19Southway Primary School52%
#20Lyminster Primary School50%
=21Eastergate CofE Primary School46%
=21St John the Baptist CofE Primary School46%
#23Yapton CE Primary School45%
#24Downview Primary School44%
#25Bishop Tufnell CofE Primary School, Felpham41%
#26Slindon CofE Primary School38%
#27Bersted Green Primary School, Bognor Regis30%
#28Clapham and Patching CofE Primary School11%

View full Ofsted inspection report

12th of 25 primary schools in Arun for Ofsted rating

#10Georgian Gardens Community Primary SchoolGood
#11Lyminster Primary SchoolGood
#12River Beach Primary SchoolGood
#13Rustington Community Primary SchoolGood
#14South Bersted 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

#1Aldingbourne Primary SchoolGood
#2Arundel CofE Primary SchoolGood
#3Barnham Primary SchoolGood
#4Bartons Primary School, Bognor RegisGood
#5Bishop Tufnell CofE Primary School, FelphamGood
#6Downview Primary SchoolGood
#7Eastergate CofE Primary SchoolGood
#8Edward Bryant SchoolGood
#9Ferring C of E Primary SchoolGood
#10Georgian Gardens Community Primary SchoolGood
#11Lyminster Primary SchoolGood
#12River Beach Primary SchoolGood
#13Rustington Community Primary SchoolGood
#14South Bersted CofE Primary SchoolGood
#15Southway Primary SchoolGood
#16St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, LittlehamptonGood
#17St John the Baptist CofE Primary SchoolGood
#18St Margaret's CofE Primary SchoolGood
#19St Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#20St Mary's CofE Primary SchoolGood
#21St Philip's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#22Walberton and Binsted CofE Primary SchoolGood
#23White Meadows Primary AcademyGood
#24Yapton CE Primary SchoolGood
#25Summerlea Community Primary SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,137 (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.

16th of 27 primary schools in Arun for spending per pupil

#14Southway Primary School£6,217
#15Georgian Gardens Community Primary School£6,210
#16River Beach Primary School£6,137
#17Barnham Primary School£6,079
#18Arundel CofE Primary School£6,008

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

#1Clapham and Patching CofE Primary School£9,190
#2Slindon CofE Primary School£8,536
#3St John the Baptist CofE Primary School£7,897
#4St Mary's CofE Primary School£7,474
#5Bersted Green Primary School, Bognor Regis£6,779
#6St Wilfrids Catholic Primary School£6,728
#7Lyminster Primary School£6,552
#8Bartons Primary School, Bognor Regis£6,534
#9White Meadows Primary Academy£6,483
#10Walberton and Binsted CofE Primary School£6,403
#11Eastergate CofE Primary School£6,401
#12South Bersted CofE Primary School£6,395
#13Ferring C of E Primary School£6,238
#14Southway Primary School£6,217
#15Georgian Gardens Community Primary School£6,210
#16River Beach Primary School£6,137
#17Barnham Primary School£6,079
#18Arundel CofE Primary School£6,008
#19Bishop Tufnell CofE Primary School, Felpham£5,934
#20Yapton CE Primary School£5,767
#21St Margaret's CofE Primary School£5,736
#22Downview Primary School£5,710
#23Edward Bryant School£5,576
#24Rustington Community Primary School£5,337
#25Aldingbourne Primary School£5,182
#26Summerlea Community Primary School£4,486
#27St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Littlehampton£4,042

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

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