Primary school in Worthing, West Sussex
Orchards Infant School
Nelson Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN12 6EN
Ofsted
Graded Requires improvement at its last graded inspection, on 21 September 2021.
Ofsted stopped awarding single-word overall grades in September 2024. This grade is 4 years old and will not be updated — the school keeps it until its next inspection, which will not produce a replacement grade.
Pupils
- Pupils on roll
- 281
- Places
- 412
- How full
- 68% full — 281 of 412 places taken, so places are likely to be available
- Girls / boys
- 137 / 144
- Overall absence
- 7%
- Persistently absent
- 19%
primary schools average 5.2%
primary schools average 12.8% — pupils missing 10% or more of sessions
- Free school meals, last 6 years
- 22%
- English as an additional language
- 14%
- With an EHC plan
- 8%
- On SEN support
- 19%
England 25.7%
England 18.7%
England 3.5%
England 15%
The neighbourhood around the school
Census 2021 figures for Worthing 007A, the statistical neighbourhood the school sits in — roughly 1,500 residents. It describes the area, not the pupils, who may travel in from further away.
- Adults with a degree
- 26%
- Adults with no qualifications
- 19%
- Households owning their home
- 84%
- Households in social housing
- 8%
- Households with no car
- 15%
- Adults economically inactive
- 47%
England 33.8%
England 18.3%
England 62.7%
England 17%
England 21.9%
England 39.9%
School details
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- Ages 3–7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- Yes
- Boarding
- Day school
- Trust
- SPARKLE MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Headteacher: Paul Jones
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Ward
- Castle
- Constituency
- Worthing West
- URN
- 150365
The unique reference number used in all official school data.
Nearest primary schools
| School | Ofsted | Expected standard | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orchards Junior SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2024 | 61% | 0 mi |
| English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, WorthingVoluntary aided school | Good 2022 | 47% | 0.3 mi |
| West Park CofE Primary (Controlled) SchoolVoluntary controlled school | No grade | 65% | 0.5 mi |
| Goring-By-Sea CofE (Aided) Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school | Good 2023 | 73% | 0.6 mi |
| Hawthorns Primary SchoolAcademy sponsor led | Requires improvement 2021 | 67% | 0.6 mi |
| The Laurels Primary School, WorthingAcademy converter | Good 2022 | 35% | 0.7 mi |
| Elm Grove Primary School, WorthingCommunity school | Good 2024 | 52% | 0.7 mi |
| Thomas A Becket Infant SchoolCommunity school | No grade | — | 1 mi |
Where these figures come from
- School details, address and pupil numbers — Get Information About Schools, the DfE register, as at 14 August 2026.
- Exam results — DfE performance tables, 2024/25.
- Free school meals, EAL and SEN — school census, 2024/25.
- Ofsted — Ofsted management information, latest inspections as at 30 June 2026.
- Neighbourhood figures — ONS Census 2021, lower layer super output area.
All published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. If something here looks wrong, the school's own website is the authority on admissions and open days.