Goldstone Primary School

Goldstone Primary School continues to perform well overall, demonstrating a strong commitment to creating a supportive and engaging learning environment for its pupils. The school has successfully implemented a broad and ambitious curriculum, facilitating students' systematic knowledge building. Parents express positive sentiments about the school, highlighting their children's happiness and active participation in school life. The school promotes a sense of community and inclusiveness, supported by effective leadership and a strong focus on personal development. Despite the school's strengths, there are areas identified for improvement, particularly in ensuring that all subjects within the curriculum are precisely defined to avoid gaps in pupils' knowledge. Leaders are aware of these challenges and are actively working to refine the curriculum further. This inspection marks the first routine evaluation since the pandemic and the second ungraded inspection since the last full inspection, reflecting ongoing monitoring of the school's performance since the previous good rating in 2013.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, engaged, and excited to learn.
• Strong sense of community throughout the school.
• Effective support for pupils with additional needs.
• A broad and ambitious curriculum designed to engage all pupils.
• Systematic teaching of phonics leading to rapid reading progress.
• Regular assessments to support pupil learning and catch up.
• Well-developed personal, social, and health curriculum.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum lacks sufficient detail in a few subjects, leading to gaps in knowledge.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Goldstone Primary School attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Goldstone Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Goldstone Primary School had 25.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 14.6% of pupils at Goldstone Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Goldstone Primary School received £6,244 and spent £6,206 for each of its 655 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £241,000 (£367 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Hove · Brighton and Hove local authority: places and applications

What is Goldstone Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Goldstone Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2023.

When was Goldstone Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Goldstone Primary School was last inspected in September 2023.

How many pupils does Goldstone Primary School have?

Goldstone Primary School has 659 pupils on roll.

What age range does Goldstone Primary School cover?

Goldstone Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Goldstone Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Goldstone Primary School?

Goldstone Primary School is at Laburnum Avenue, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 7JW.