The March CofE Primary School
General Information
- Address: Claypit Lane, Westhampnett, Chichester, PO18 0NU – View on map
- Phone: 01243783987
- Website: Visit school website
- Headteacher: Mr Steve Jackson
- Age range: 4-11 years
- Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 36 families put it first for 30 places – 12 for every 10 places. 75% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 15 · 2024 13 · 2025 18 · 2026 12
- Sixth form: No
- Intake: Mixed
- Religious character: Church of England
- Nursery provision: No
Who goes here
- Pupils eligible for free school meals: 16
- % eligible for free school meals: 7.7%
- Pupil mix: 3 in 10 (similar to the Chichester average)
- English as an additional language: 8% (England 22%)
Staff
Teachers leaving each year
- Teacher turnover: 10.5% a year (Chichester 15.5%, typical in England 13.9%)
- Where they went: about 0% moved to another school, 100% 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. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.
Behaviour
Awaiting Data
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: 5.9%
- Persistently absent pupils: 17.4%
- Data year: 2024/25
SEN
No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision
- Pupils on SEN Support: 15.9%
- Pupils with an EHC Plan: 5.3%
- Data year: 2025/26
Most common needs - SEN Support
- Specific learning difficulty: 9 pupils
- Social, emotional and mental health: 8 pupils
- Speech, language and communications needs: 8 pupils
- SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 3 pupils
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 3 pupils
Most common needs - EHC Plan
- Speech, language and communications needs: 5 pupils
- Specific learning difficulty: 2 pupils
- Social, emotional and mental health: 1 pupil
- Multi-sensory impairment: 1 pupil
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 1 pupil
These figures show the makeup of the school.
Educational Attainment
Good 2023 report
Year 6 SATs results
- Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 60% (England 62%)
- Reached the higher standard: 7% (England 8%)
- Compared with the area: 3 percentage points above the Chichester average (57%)
- Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well below (3-year average 50% against an expected 66%)
- 3-year average (expected standard): 50%
- Expected standard by subject: Reading 80% · Writing 77% · Maths 70% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 77%
- Average test scores: reading 106, maths 103
- Based on: 30 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
Year 6 SATs: joint 15th of 42 junior and primary schools in the area
- #14Medmerry Primary School61%
- =15Sidlesham Primary School60%
- =15The March CofE Primary School60%
- =17Birdham CE Primary School59%
- =17East Wittering Community Primary School59%
Click to see the full ranking
View full Ofsted inspection report
27th of 33 primary schools in Chichester for Ofsted rating
- #25St Richard's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
- #26Tangmere Primary AcademyGood
- #27The March CofE Primary SchoolGood
- #28Thorney Island Community Primary SchoolGood
- #29West Wittering Parochial Church of England SchoolGood
Click to see the full ranking
Financials
Spending per pupil: £6,010 (2024-25)
34th of 41 primary schools in Chichester for spending per pupil
- #32Chidham Parochial Primary School£6,301
- #33Tangmere Primary Academy£6,023
- #34The March CofE Primary School£6,010
- #35Camelsdale Primary School£5,982
- #36Seal Primary Academy£5,904
Click to see the full ranking
View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)