Holbrook Primary School

Holbrook Primary School is a caring and inclusive school where pupils feel welcome, safe and well supported. Relationships are warm, behaviour is positive, and the school's provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is a notable strength, including its specially resourced provision for pupils with autism and/or speech, language and communication difficulties. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, reading and phonics are taught well, and leaders have a clear inclusive vision and have made rapid changes since the new leadership team joined. The school is part of a federation with Bedenham Primary School, and this was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. Pupils benefit from thoughtful personal development, strong pastoral support and a range of enriching experiences. However, some national test outcomes in phonics and at the end of key stage 2 have been lower than average, although current pupils are making effective progress and the school is responding to this. Teaching of subject-specific vocabulary is inconsistent, too many pupils are frequently absent, and some parents do not fully understand recent changes or feel listened to effectively. Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Strengths

• Pupils feel welcome, valued and safe, with warm and caring relationships between staff and pupils.
• The school provides strong pastoral support that helps pupils fully participate in school life.
• Pupils behave well and respond positively to the school's high expectations.
• The specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND provides excellent support and is highly inclusive.
• Pupils with SEND are quickly identified and staff adapt the curriculum effectively to meet their needs.
• The teaching of phonics is a clear strength, with well-trained staff using a consistent reading programme.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious, with clearly identified knowledge, skills and vocabulary.
• Personal development is thoughtfully planned, including assemblies, trips, projects and leadership opportunities.
• Leaders and governors have a strong, inclusive vision and have driven rapid improvement.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Staff do not consistently introduce and emphasise subject-specific vocabulary, so some pupils cannot recall and apply it accurately.
• Some national test outcomes in phonics and at the end of key stage 2 have been lower than national averages.
• Too many pupils are frequently absent from school, although attendance is improving for some.
• Some parents do not fully understand the school's policies, particularly on behaviour and inclusion, or feel that they are listened to effectively.

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 Holbrook Primary School attended 90.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.5% 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, 12.9% of pupils at Holbrook 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 Holbrook Primary School had 14.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.9% 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, 17.2% of pupils at Holbrook Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 29.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 37 pupils.

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 Holbrook Primary School received £11,883 and spent £11,692 for each of its 203 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £264,000 (£1,301 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 Gosport · Hampshire local authority: places and applications

What is Holbrook Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Holbrook Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Holbrook Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Holbrook Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Holbrook Primary School have?

Holbrook Primary School has 203 pupils on roll.

What age range does Holbrook Primary School cover?

Holbrook Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 42% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Holbrook Primary School?

Holbrook Primary School is at Wych Lane, Bridgemary, Gosport, Hampshire, PO13 0JN.