Harbour Primary and Nursery School

Harbour Primary and Nursery School has demonstrated effective measures to uphold the academic standards recognized in its previous inspection. With a strong emphasis on kindness and respect, students engage positively with a broad curriculum that has seen improvements, particularly in phonics, English, and mathematics. The school supports an inclusive environment for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), ensuring their involvement in school life and decision-making processes, creating a caring and vibrant atmosphere where all pupils feel safe and valued.

Strengths

• Pupils show eagerness to learn and kindness towards others.
• Staff have high expectations for student achievement.
• Effective support for students with SEND enables them to thrive.
• Curriculum improvements have enhanced literacy and numeracy outcomes.
• Prioritization of reading skills supports student fluency and confidence.
• Robust engagement with parents to improve student attendance.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in checking pupils' understanding can lead to unaddressed learning gaps.
• Some lessons do not effectively deepen or extend pupils' 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 Harbour Primary and Nursery School attended 92.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.4% 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, 1.7% of pupils at Harbour Primary and Nursery School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 2 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 Harbour Primary and Nursery School had 23.4 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, 20.9% of pupils at Harbour Primary and Nursery School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.1% 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 Harbour Primary and Nursery School received £6,884 and spent £6,969 for each of its 468 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £159,000 (£341 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).

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All schools in Lewes · East Sussex local authority: places and applications

What is Harbour Primary and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Harbour Primary and Nursery School is Good, from an inspection in April 2025.

When was Harbour Primary and Nursery School last inspected by Ofsted?

Harbour Primary and Nursery School was last inspected in April 2025.

How many pupils does Harbour Primary and Nursery School have?

Harbour Primary and Nursery School has 473 pupils on roll.

What age range does Harbour Primary and Nursery School cover?

Harbour Primary and Nursery School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Harbour Primary and Nursery School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 74% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Harbour Primary and Nursery School?

Harbour Primary and Nursery School is at Church Hill, Newhaven, East Sussex, BN9 9LX.