Faygate schools

[UmberViewer]

Hello very soon to be moving to the area please could I get some thoughts on Faygate primary schools? Concerned about the strict catchment as the ones central horsham way seem more appealing

I can tell you about the schools in Horsham, but no idea about Faygate! There are a handful of schools always oversubscribed and in demand (Kingslea, Arunside, Leechpool, Heron Way, Bohunt Primary) and the rest can vary.

Are you looking towards reception? Is it Kilnwood Vale you're looking at? If so, and that is your catchment school, you may not get a place in Horsham unless the school is under subscribed.

I would ask on the Horsham parents page on Facebook (or any of the various Horsham pages), as someone there will know something.

(I meant 'you may not get a place in Horsham town'). Whilst Kilnwood Vale is technically Horsham, it's a closer to Crawley (the same with Faygate village- it's about half a mile closer to Crawley).

If you're looking at Faygate / Kilnwood Vale, I wouldn't bank on the Horsham town ones from out there — Heron Way etc do tend to fill from closer in. Worth putting the exact postcode you're buying into the West Sussex catchment map, and asking the LA what last year's distances looked like for the ones you actually like.

Kilnwood Vale itself is fairly new and was Good at Ofsted (Outstanding early years) last time I checked, but I'd still try a midweek visit if you can. New-build catchments can feel different once you're in the morning drop-off chaos, and secondary later is another reason to think about where the house sits, not just reception.

I'm developing a school comparison site for the South East that's completely free to use (schoolcompass.uk) which will hopefully be helpful for this sort of shortlist. It doesn’t rank schools, but shows the relevant local ones, with useful details such as catchment areas and Ofsted summaries to try and save people a bit of leg-work.