Handcross Primary School

School overview

Handcross Primary School is a primary school serving Haywards Heath, West Sussex, classified by the DfE as a community school. It has 248 pupils aged 2 to 11 on roll. In the most recent Key Stage 2 SATs, 79% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — well above the national average of 61%. That is down 4.0 percentage points in the proportion reaching the expected standard on the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it among the top 14% of primary schools in England.

Pupils achieved an average scaled score of 107 in reading and 106 in maths (national averages are about 105 and 104). 14% reached the higher standard across all three subjects (around 8% do so nationally). Competition for places is real here - 76% of first-choice applicants were offered a Reception place for September 2026 (34 first choices for 29 places). The council's own allocation figures show the last child offered a place for 2026 lived 1.69 miles away in a straight line — that distance is not a fixed catchment and moves each year. Overall pupil absence was 4.1%. There are about 26.2 pupils per teacher. Handcross Primary School does not currently have a recent graded Ofsted judgement on record (often the case for newer or recently converted schools), so it is worth asking when its next inspection is expected. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.