Hove Junior School

Hove Junior School is performing at an exceptionally high level. Inspectors found outstanding provision across the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management, with the school having previously been judged good. Under the current inspection framework the school is not given an overall effectiveness grade. Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for their next stage, behave impeccably across both sites, and achieve very strong outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. The school's curriculum is highly ambitious and carefully sequenced, and staff have secure subject knowledge and use questioning and assessment well. Pupils benefit from a strong personal, social and health education curriculum, a wide range of opportunities and leadership roles, and effective support for their wellbeing and safety. Leaders are inspirational, staff development is strong, governance is effective, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. Hove Junior School is federated with West Hove Infant School and operates across two sites. Inspectors identified no areas of concern in the report, and parents are supportive of the school.

Strengths

• Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for their next stage of education.
• Pupils model resilience, perseverance and collaboration well.
• Behaviour is impeccable across the school's sites.
• Staff have high expectations and clear routines that pupils respond to positively.
• Pupils achieve very strong outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND are well supported and achieve as well as their peers.
• The personal, social and health education curriculum develops pupils' understanding of wellbeing, safety and healthy lifestyles.
• Pupils take on leadership roles and contribute positively to school life.
• The curriculum is highly ambitious and builds knowledge cumulatively across subjects.
• Staff have expert subject knowledge and use questioning and assessment effectively.
• Pupils who fall behind receive robust support and catch up quickly.
• Leaders are inspirational and provide strong staff development.
• Governors understand their roles and responsibilities well.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Parents are supportive of the school.

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 Hove Junior School attended 94.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.8% 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, 0.6% of pupils at Hove Junior 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 Hove Junior School had 23.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.2% 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, 18.3% of pupils at Hove Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.0% 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 Hove Junior School received £6,593 and spent £6,459 for each of its 671 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £40,000 (£59 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 Hove Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hove Junior School is Outstanding, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Hove Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hove Junior School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Hove Junior School have?

Hove Junior School has 671 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hove Junior School cover?

Hove Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Hove Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 76% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Hove Junior School?

Hove Junior School is at Portland Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 5JA.