Southway Primary School

Southway Primary School has made notable improvements since its previous inspection, now achieving a 'Good' overall effectiveness rating. The school cultivates a friendly and vibrant learning environment where pupils are motivated to succeed. The curriculum is ambitious and designed to cater to the needs of all students, although some gaps in learning due to the pandemic have been identified, prompting temporary adjustments in some subjects. The school is committed to fostering a culture of kindness and respect, reducing instances of bullying and encouraging pupils to take an active role in their education.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy their learning and appreciate their teachers' high ambitions.
• The school's values promote a positive environment and discourage bullying.
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
• Effective prioritization of reading, with well-trained staff and accessible resources.
• Pupils benefit from a broad range of extracurricular activities.
• Commitment to continuous staff development through support from the multi-academy trust.

Areas for Improvement

• Some resources for teaching reading are not optimally chosen, impacting learning.
• Not all aspects of the broad curriculum are currently delivered.
• Needs of some pupils with SEND are not always identified and met precisely enough.

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 Southway Primary School attended 94.2% 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, 2.6% of pupils at Southway 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 Southway Primary School had 21.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.4% 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, 12.8% of pupils at Southway Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.3% 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 2024–25 Southway Primary School received £6,584 and spent £6,312 for each of its 488 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £436,000 (£894 per pupil).

Across all 93 schools of United Learning Trust, income was £8,687 and spending £8,616 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Bognor Regis · West Sussex local authority: places and applications

Southway Primary School is part of United Learning Trust, which runs 98 schools. The nearest others:

• The Regis School West Sussex
• Midhurst Rother College Midhurst
• Beacon View Primary Academy Portsmouth
• The Victory Primary School Portsmouth
• Castle View Academy Portsmouth
• Shoreham Academy Shoreham-By-Sea
• Glebe Primary School Brighton
• Seahaven Academy Newhaven
• Regents Park Community College Southampton
• Avonbourne Boys' Academy Bournemouth

What is Southway Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Southway Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2022.

When was Southway Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Southway Primary School was last inspected in May 2022.

How many pupils does Southway Primary School have?

Southway Primary School has 445 pupils on roll.

What age range does Southway Primary School cover?

Southway Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Southway Primary School?

Southway Primary School is at South Way, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO21 5EZ.