Our school
Our story, our place.
Swiss Gardens has been part of Shoreham-by-Sea for nearly 200 years — a Victorian pleasure garden that gave us our name, a school that's grown with the town, and a community that walks here every day.
Where we are
Shoreham-by-Sea.
Swiss Gardens sits in the heart of Shoreham — a coastal town on the West Sussex border between Brighton and Worthing, where the River Adur meets the English Channel. We're a five-minute walk from the harbour, the beach huts, and the high street.
Shoreham is small enough that families know each other and big enough to have everything a primary school could want — the seafront for science walks and beach school, the town centre for trips to the bakery and the library, and a network of safe walking routes that bring most of our families to the gates on foot or by bike.
The school's catchment is largely within walking distance. Most of our children arrive on foot, by bike or by scooter — which is why the road outside the school becomes a School Street at drop-off and pick-up.
Safer streets
A School Street at the gate.
The road outside Swiss Gardens is closed to through-traffic at drop-off and pick-up to keep the entrance safe for the hundreds of children who arrive on foot or by bike. Mon–Fri 8–9am and 2.30–3.30pm, term time only. Buses and access for residents are exempt.
Pedestrian and cycle access is open throughout. Residents and Blue Badge holders' permits are available from West Sussex County Council. The scheme is part of the Shoreham-wide School Streets programme — designed to cut traffic, lower air pollution at the school gate, and give children space to arrive at school on their own two feet.
Find the school: Swiss Gardens, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex BN43 5WH.
Our history
From a Victorian pleasure garden to a primary school.
James Britton Balley opened the original Swiss Gardens in 1838 as a pleasure park: bandstands, a dancing platform, formal gardens. The school took the name in 2008, when the children chose to honour the place that had stood here for 170 years.
A two-century story
Read the full history of Swiss Gardens.
From David's Marsh in 1782, through the 1905 closure and the Swiss Cottage pub of 1928, to the school we are today — including the people who shaped it along the way. Five archive images and a short film.
Read the full history →Come and see the place for yourself.
The best way to feel Swiss Gardens is to be here. Contact the school office to arrange a visit at a time that suits you.