Contested schools in West Sussex
These are the West Sussex schools that turned first-choice families away in at least one of the last three years — either because more families named them first than they had places, or because they refused families who named them first anyway. Figures shown are for 2026/27. Demand is not a forecast: an oversubscribed school turns more families away, which is not the same as their appeals succeeding more often.
Appeal success rates for West Sussex
Secondary schools (24)
Each has its own page with a 12-year demand history.
Primary schools (94)
Primary schools are listed here as figures rather than pages. Most refusals at the Reception intake are infant class size cases, where a panel can only act on three narrow grounds and fewer than one in ten appeals succeeds — so the honest thing to publish is the data, not a page inviting an appeal.
| School | Places | First choices | Per place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lavant Primary School | 15 | 29 | 1.93 |
| Thakeham Primary School | 15 | 29 | 1.93 |
| Rake CofE Primary School | 14 | 25 | 1.79 |
| Kingslea Primary School | 60 | 94 | 1.57 |
| Blackwell Primary School | 29 | 45 | 1.55 |
| Jessie Younghusband Primary School | 30 | 43 | 1.43 |
| Rudgwick Primary School | 30 | 42 | 1.40 |
| St Margaret's CofE Primary School | 60 | 84 | 1.40 |
| Lindfield Primary Academy | 89 | 124 | 1.39 |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School | 30 | 41 | 1.37 |
| Fittleworth CofE Village School | 20 | 27 | 1.35 |
| St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School | 60 | 81 | 1.35 |
| Turners Hill Church of England Primary School | 20 | 27 | 1.35 |
| Heron Way Primary School | 59 | 78 | 1.32 |
| Bury CofE Primary School | 13 | 17 | — |
| Fairway Infant School, Copthorne | 59 | 77 | 1.31 |
| Rumboldswhyke CofE Primary School | 16 | 21 | 1.31 |
| Easebourne CofE Primary School | 30 | 39 | 1.30 |
| Lyminster Primary School | 30 | 39 | 1.30 |
| Arundel CofE Primary School | 29 | 37 | 1.28 |
| Albourne Church of England Primary School | 30 | 38 | 1.27 |
| Ashington CofE Primary School | 30 | 38 | 1.27 |
| Camelsdale Primary School | 30 | 38 | 1.27 |
| Seal Primary Academy | 30 | 38 | 1.27 |
| Seaside Primary School | 90 | 113 | 1.26 |
| St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, Crawley | 60 | 75 | 1.25 |
| Bartons Primary School, Bognor Regis | 29 | 36 | 1.24 |
| Aldingbourne Primary School | 30 | 36 | 1.20 |
| Elm Grove Primary School, Worthing | 30 | 36 | 1.20 |
| Ferring C of E Primary School | 30 | 36 | 1.20 |
| The March CofE Primary School | 30 | 36 | 1.20 |
| Birchwood Grove Community Primary School, Burgess Hill | 60 | 70 | 1.17 |
| Handcross Primary School | 29 | 34 | 1.17 |
| St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School | 29 | 33 | 1.14 |
| Arunside School, Horsham | 60 | 68 | 1.13 |
| Castlewood Primary School | 30 | 34 | 1.13 |
| Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Primary School | 60 | 68 | 1.13 |
| West Wittering Parochial Church of England School | 15 | 17 | — |
| Wisborough Green Primary School | 30 | 34 | 1.13 |
| Ashurst CofE Primary School | 8 | 9 | — |
| Forge Wood Primary School | 60 | 67 | 1.12 |
| Funtington Primary School | 20 | 22 | 1.10 |
| The Laurels Primary School, Worthing | 30 | 33 | 1.10 |
| Woodgate Primary Academy | 30 | 33 | 1.10 |
| West Dean CofE Primary School | 14 | 15 | — |
| Milton Mount Primary School | 90 | 94 | 1.04 |
| London Meed Community Primary School | 60 | 62 | 1.03 |
| Springfield Infant School and Nursery | 58 | 60 | 1.03 |
| St Andrew's CofE Primary School | 30 | 31 | 1.03 |
| St Mary's Church of England Primary School, East Grinstead | 29 | 30 | 1.03 |
| Tangmere Primary Academy | 30 | 31 | 1.03 |
| The Oaks Primary School & Nursery | 59 | 61 | 1.03 |
| West Green Primary School | 29 | 30 | 1.03 |
| Barnham Primary School | 44 | 45 | 1.02 |
| Eastbrook Primary Academy | 42 | 43 | 1.02 |
| Northlands Wood Primary Academy | 59 | 60 | 1.02 |
| St Margaret's Church of England Primary School | 58 | 58 | 1 |
| St Mary's CofE Primary School | 15 | 15 | — |
| St Peter's Catholic Primary School | 28 | 28 | 1 |
| St Philip's Catholic Primary School | 30 | 30 | 1 |
| Bohunt Horsham | 58 | 57 | 0.98 |
| Downsbrook Primary School | 41 | 40 | 0.98 |
| Brook Infant School and Nursery | 31 | 30 | 0.97 |
| Southway Primary School | 60 | 58 | 0.97 |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School | 60 | 58 | 0.97 |
| Thomas A Becket Infant School | 138 | 134 | 0.97 |
| Warnham CofE Primary School | 30 | 29 | 0.97 |
| Holmbush Primary Academy | 24 | 23 | 0.96 |
| River Beach Primary School | 68 | 65 | 0.96 |
| Balcombe Cofe Primary School | 20 | 19 | — |
| Harlands Primary School | 60 | 57 | 0.95 |
| Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Cuckfield | 55 | 52 | 0.95 |
| West Hoathly CofE Primary School | 19 | 18 | — |
| Goring-By-Sea CofE (Aided) Primary School | 48 | 45 | 0.94 |
| Bolnore Village Primary School | 59 | 55 | 0.93 |
| Bosham Primary School | 30 | 28 | 0.93 |
| North Lancing Primary School | 55 | 51 | 0.93 |
| South Bersted CofE Primary School | 30 | 28 | 0.93 |
| Yapton CE Primary School | 59 | 55 | 0.93 |
| Leechpool Primary School | 58 | 53 | 0.91 |
| Bolney CofE Primary School | 10 | 9 | — |
| Boxgrove CofE Primary School | 10 | 9 | — |
| Pound Hill Infant Academy | 86 | 77 | 0.90 |
| Slinfold CofE Primary School and Pre School | 17 | 15 | — |
| North Mundham Primary School | 30 | 26 | 0.87 |
| Walberton and Binsted CofE Primary School | 30 | 26 | 0.87 |
| Sidlesham Primary School | 20 | 17 | — |
| St Andrew's CofE Primary School | 20 | 17 | — |
| Fishbourne CofE Primary School | 30 | 25 | 0.83 |
| Homefield Primary School and SSC | 47 | 39 | 0.83 |
| Sheddingdean Community Primary School | 30 | 25 | 0.83 |
| St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Littlehampton | 29 | 24 | 0.83 |
| Blackthorns Community Primary School | 30 | 21 | 0.70 |
| St Mary's CofE Primary School | 15 | 9 | — |
Department for Education, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, school-level file, 2026/27. Appeal outcomes are not published for individual schools — how we source and calculate the figures.