Hawthorns Primary School

Twelve pupils sat the Key Stage 2 tests in the most recent results year, and 92% of them met the expected standard in mathematics. That single figure captures Hawthorns Primary School well: small, close-knit and capable of strong outcomes, with every number carrying the caveat that comes with a class of twelve.

Hawthorns serves families in Durrington, Worthing, and takes children from two to eleven through its on-site nursery and a primary school with room for 210 pupils. There are 183 on roll. Since 1 February 2024 it has been part of Schoolsworks Academy Trust, a multi-academy trust in West Sussex. Wendy Lawson was headteacher when the school joined the trust; the school's current staff list names Debbie Hawkins as Acting Head of School. It is a mixed, non-faith state school with no tuition fees and a published admission number of 30.

Pride, Respect and Success are the three values the school sets out, and its vision statement asks children to take pride in who they are, to be resilient in the face of problems and to contribute to their community at school, locally and more widely. Those are ambitions rather than evidence, but they give a clear sense of what leaders are aiming at.

Scale shapes daily life more than anything else. With mixed-age classes in the junior years (the staff list shows a Year 3/4 class and a Year 4/5 class), this is a school where children are known across the building. The school's own welcome makes exactly that claim: every child is known by everyone, staff and pupils alike. For a four-year-old starting Reception, that can be reassuring. For a child who wants a large peer group, it is worth weighing.

Inclusion is the other thread. The school describes itself as fully inclusive, with teachers and teaching assistants supporting a wide spread of needs so that all children can access the curriculum, and it presents an open-door culture in which daily conversations about children's needs are welcomed. Leadership includes a Special Needs & Inclusion Leader, and the support staff team includes a named Pastoral Lead.

The early years site adds real character. Hawthorns Nursery sits in a purpose-built unit within the school grounds, on a secure site with outside play areas. Its grassed front garden has climbing and balancing equipment with a climbing frame and slide, while the paved back garden, used year round, has role play areas, ride-ons, a water tray and a mud kitchen. Children grow their own fruit and vegetables. The nursery also has a quieter book room with games and puzzles, use of the school hall and music room, regular time in the on-site forest area and direct access to Longcroft park through a school gate. That park gate is a real asset for a small primary: open green space reached without leaving the site boundary.

Governance runs through the trust. The Board of Schoolsworks acts as trustees and governors for all its schools, supported locally by the Hawthorns School Community Council, an advisory group of staff, parents and community members that meets at least three times a year and holds portfolios for areas such as SEND and inclusion, safeguarding and quality of education.

Key Stage 2 results are above the England average on the headline measure. In the latest published results, 67% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, against an England average of 62%. Science is in line: 83% met the expected standard, against 82% across England.

Mathematics is the standout subject. Some 92% of pupils met the expected standard, a quarter reached the higher standard, and the average scaled score was 107, seven points above the expected standard of 100. Reading is also strong: 83% met the expected standard, half of the cohort achieved the higher standard, and the average scaled score was 106. Grammar, punctuation and spelling trails slightly, with 75% at the expected standard, 17% at the higher standard and an average scaled score of 102.

The gap is at the very top of writing. No pupil in the cohort was assessed at greater depth in writing, so none reached the higher standard across reading, writing and mathematics combined, where the England average is 8%. That pattern (secure reading and maths, but no writing at greater depth) is the one area where results clearly lag the rest of the profile.

Hawthorns ranks 7,392nd of 14,978 in England for primary (KS2) results (top 49.4%), ranked against all schools in England with published KS2 results, state and independent. That places it in line with the middle of schools in England. This is a proprietary FindMySchool ranking built from official data. No overall or local ranking is available for the school at present.

Context matters here more than at most schools. The cohort was just 12 pupils, so each child moves a percentage figure by roughly eight points. One cohort's results say relatively little about the next, and parents should read the figures as a snapshot rather than a trend.

Mathematics follows the Maths No Problem curriculum, which the school says supports a mastery approach to teaching and learning. The school says it uses a structural approach so that knowledge becomes deeply embedded, and the most recent maths results (92% at the expected standard, an average scaled score of 107) are consistent with that emphasis.

In English, the school publishes separate reading and writing intent documents, a reading policy and parents' guides to Renaissance and AR, so families can see how reading is organised and tracked. Phonics has its own page explaining how it is taught at Hawthorns.

The wider curriculum covers art, computing, design and technology, geography, history, music, modern foreign languages, physical education, RSHE / E4S, religious education and science. Theme Weeks take children off timetable for a week to explore one area in depth; the school lists Expressive Arts, Diversity, Science, Geography and Healthy Living as themes. For a small school, a week-long focus is a practical way to give subjects like geography or the arts sustained attention that a crowded weekly timetable can squeeze.

In the early years, the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum is built around play. The school states plainly that play is children's work and not a separate activity, and it aims to create indoor and outdoor environments that support a play-based curriculum. The Early Years page walks parents through the seven areas of learning with practical suggestions for home, such as singing number rhymes, sharing books and playing games that children do not always win. Nursery children move freely between indoors and outside and come together during each session for an adult-led activity, in small groups or as a whole class.

With the age range ending at eleven, every pupil moves on at the end of Year 6. Secondary places are allocated through the West Sussex coordinated admissions process, and families should check which secondary school serves their address using the council's catchment search before relying on a particular route. Leavers' destinations are best discussed with the school at a visit.

Academically, the most recent leavers moved on well prepared in mathematics and reading, with nine in ten meeting the expected standard in maths. Writing at greater depth is the area where a more ambitious child might want extra stretch before secondary school.

Responsibility is built in along the way. The school runs an ambassadorship programme that encourages pupils to get fully involved at the school, a practical way to build responsibility before secondary school.

Reception applications go through West Sussex County Council's coordinated scheme, not to the school directly. Schoolsworks Academy Trust is the admissions authority and sets the oversubscription rules, which are shared across its primary schools. Children are normally admitted in September of the academic year in which they turn five, and the published admission number is 30 for both 2026-27 and 2027-28.

Where there are more applicants than places, the order of priority is:

• children with an Education Health and Care Plan naming the school;
• looked after and previously looked after children;
• children with exceptional and compelling social, psychological or medical grounds;
• catchment-area children with brothers or sisters already at the school;
• out-of-catchment children with brothers or sisters already at the school;
• children of staff employed by the school for at least two years;
• other catchment-area children;
• other children living outside the catchment area.

Straight-line distance from home to school breaks ties within each category. Catchment boundaries are set by West Sussex County Council, and families can confirm their catchment school on the council's website.

Demand looks healthier on paper than the Reception intake suggests. For 2025 entry the school received 56 applications, counting every preference ranking, and made 19 offers, which makes it oversubscribed by applications. Nineteen offers against 30 places, and a roll of 183 in a school with capacity for 210, point to spare capacity in recent years, though demand can change from year to year.

In-year applications are handled by the local authority on the school's behalf, with a waiting list held by West Sussex County Council. Parents of children with SEND follow the same process, and the SENDCO or Headteacher will discuss specific needs by appointment. Before a child starts, the school arranges preliminary visits, home visits and a welcome meeting for new parents.

For children due to start in September 2027, Early Years Stay & Play sessions run on Wednesday 14 October and Wednesday 18 November, from 3:30pm to 4:00pm. Parents are also welcome to arrange a visit by telephoning the school office.

Nursery places are separate from Reception admissions. Hawthorns Nursery accepts children from two years until school age, with up to 26 children per session. A nursery place does not appear among the oversubscription criteria for Reception, so families should still make a Reception application through the council.

Support is organised through named roles. Mrs Helen Morris is the SENCO and also the Designated Safeguarding Lead, the leadership team includes an Early Years Lead, and Mrs C Maynard is Pastoral Lead. The nursery is overseen by the Early Years Lead and the school SENDCO, which gives families of younger children with emerging needs a clear route to specialist advice from the start.

SEND provision is presented as a partnership with parents. The school states that it works with families because parents know their child best, and it is part of both Schoolsworks and the West Worthing Locality of Schools, which work together on best practice and a common approach. A SEND Policy, SEND Information Report and frequently asked questions sit alongside a link to the West Sussex Local Offer.

Attendance expectations are clear and firm. Absence is reported through the Arbor app, by email or by phone before 9:00am, lateness after 9:05am is marked as unauthorised absence, and term-time holidays are not authorised except in exceptional and compelling circumstances. For day-to-day messages, Class Dojo is used, while teachers prefer longer conversations at the end of the school day.

A Hawthorns PTA, run by parents and teachers, brings families together and raises funds for the school. The School Community Council also invites parents to share feedback and ideas.

Outdoor learning is the defining strand. Forest School takes place in an area within the school grounds, where children work on topics outdoors, learn to build shelters and develop teamwork skills. The school says it has woven this approach into its curriculum, with the aim that children understand how the environment supports them and how to sustain it. For a primary on a residential site, a dedicated outdoor learning area is a real asset, and the nursery uses the same forest area regularly.

Sport is funded through the PE and Sport Premium, and the school publishes a Sports Premium Review for 2025-26 explaining how the grant is spent. Clubs are advertised through a Clubs page; the current offer highlights a Dance club. The after-school provision also includes a dedicated 4:00pm to 5:00pm session for children staying on after an extra-curricular club, which makes clubs more workable for working parents.

Creative subjects get focused time through the Expressive Arts theme week, and music appears both on the curriculum and through the music room, which the nursery also uses. The Diversity and Healthy Living theme weeks extend learning into wider personal development.

The published enrichment offer is modest compared with larger primaries. Families who want a long list of weekly clubs, competitive sports fixtures or instrumental tuition should ask the school directly what runs in the current term.

Gates and classroom doors open at 8:35am, school starts at 8:45am and finishes at 3:00pm, a compulsory week of 31.25 hours. Lunch is staggered, with Reception eating first at 11:30am. The school is consulting parents on a proposed day of 8:35am to 3:05pm from January 2027.

Wraparound care is run by school staff. Early Morning Drop Off runs from 8:00am to 8:30am, with activities and breakfast, at £3 per session. Late Pick Up runs until 5:00pm, at £5 for 3:00pm to 4:00pm, £10 for 3:00pm to 5:00pm and £5 for 4:00pm to 5:00pm; sessions are booked through Arbor.

The nursery runs term-time sessions from 9am to 12pm and 12pm to 3pm, or all day, with charged early drop-off and late collection by prior arrangement. It accepts funded two-year-olds, funded three- and four-year-olds (including 30-hour places) and fee-paying children; ask the school for current nursery fees. From September 2026, meals are provided by FEED West Sussex, with universal free school meals for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. Logo uniform is sold by Broadwater Sports. The school does not publish transport arrangements.

No inspection of its own yet. Ofsted has not yet inspected Hawthorns Primary School since it opened on 1 February 2024, so there is no current grade. Before this school opened, the predecessor school (URN 125950) was judged Requires Improvement by Ofsted in October 2021. Families should ask leaders directly how the school has developed since joining the trust.

Small cohorts, volatile results. With twelve pupils in the tested year, one child shifts a percentage by around eight points. Strong maths this year does not guarantee the same next year, and the lack of any greater-depth writing is worth raising at a visit.

Leadership in transition. The staff list names an acting head of school, which suggests leadership arrangements are not yet settled. Parents may want to ask about permanent leadership plans.

Mixed-age classes. Key Stage 2 is organised partly in mixed-age classes. Many children thrive in them, but parents who prefer single-year classes should ask how teaching is planned across the two year groups.

Hawthorns Primary School offers a small, inclusive education in Durrington, with an on-site nursery from age two, outdoor learning through Forest School and direct access to Longcroft park. Its most recent results were above the England average on the combined measure and strong in maths and reading, though from a cohort of just twelve pupils, and no pupil reached greater depth in writing. It is best suited to families who want a small school where children are known individually, value inclusion and SEND support, and would benefit from continuity from nursery through to Year 6. The main caveat is that this school has no inspection of its own yet and is still settling its leadership, so a visit and direct questions to leaders matter more than usual.