St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School

St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School is performing well across all inspected areas. Inspectors found an inclusive, welcoming school where pupils feel happy and safe, behave positively and work hard to meet teachers’ high expectations. The curriculum is ambitious from early years and meets the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND, and precise identification of needs helps teachers adapt learning effectively. Reading is a particular priority and most pupils become fluent readers by key stage 2. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and governors provide effective support and challenge.

Strengths

• Inclusive and welcoming school where pupils feel happy and safe
• Calm and purposeful environment with positive pupil behaviour
• High expectations and a love of learning promoted across the school
• Ambitious curriculum that begins in early years and meets the needs of all pupils
• Precise identification of SEND needs with effective adaptation of activities
• Strong focus on reading, with most pupils fluent by key stage 2
• Effective NEST provision for pupils with communication needs
• Teachers check understanding carefully and plan catch-up interventions
• Wide range of enrichment opportunities, including leadership roles and trips
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Governors provide knowledgeable support and challenge

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, activities are less precisely designed, so pupils do not always learn all intended knowledge
• Some staff delivering interventions lack the skills, knowledge and training to help pupils catch up swiftly enough
• Attendance remains higher than the school expects, although recent interventions are beginning to have a positive impact
• Leaders do not precisely evaluate the impact of their attendance strategies, limiting identification of what works best

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 St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School attended 92.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.3% 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, 2.0% of pupils at St John the Baptist Catholic 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 St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School had 20.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.5% 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, 11.4% of pupils at St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.7% 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 St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School received £8,218 and spent £7,769 for each of its 193 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £265,000 (£1,373 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 Brighton · Brighton and Hove local authority: places and applications

What is St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in October 2024.

When was St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School was last inspected in October 2024.

How many pupils does St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School have?

St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School has 193 pupils on roll.

What age range does St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School cover?

St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 40% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School?

St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School is at Whitehawk Hill Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 0AH.