Benfield Primary School
Benfield Primary School is an academy converter in Brighton for pupils aged 4 to 11. It has 209 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for Benfield Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2019 of its predecessor, Benfield Primary School. In 2025, 50% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. It has plenty of spare room: 47% of its places were unfilled in 2024/25, more than at most primary schools.
Ofsted inspection: September 2024. KS2 results: 2025.
| Type | Primary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 4-11 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | 255 Old Shoreham Road Portslade Brighton East Sussex BN41 1XS |
| Phone | 01273916540 |
| Reference Number | 151063 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 209 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 46.89%
Girls: 53.11% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 39.2% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 19.1% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 26.1 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 25.7 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 26.4 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | 13 | 24 |
| 2 | 14 | 12 | 26 |
| 3 | 11 | 19 | 30 |
| 4 | 14 | 17 | 31 |
| 5 | 17 | 12 | 29 |
| 6 | 17 | 25 | 42 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 61.7% |
| White, Other | 6.2% |
| Asian, Other | 5.3% |
| African | 3.8% |
| Mixed, Other | 3.8% |
| White & Asian | 2.9% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 2.4% |
| White & Black (African) | 2.4% |
| Chinese | 1.9% |
| Indian | 1% |
| Unclassified | 1% |
| Pakistani | 0.5% |
This school has not been graded since it changed URN, usually on converting to an academy. The rating shown is from its predecessor, Benfield Primary School, inspected in November 2019.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| Last Report Date | This school has not had an inspection yet. |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 06 Sep 2024 | Academy conversion letter |
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 50% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 4% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 102 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 105 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
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See how Benfield Primary School ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.
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Unlock for £9.99Reception admissions, 2026 entry
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| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 20 | 0 |
| Third Preference | 17 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 2 | 0 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 Benfield Primary School had 213 pupils for 405 places. 192 places (47.4%) were unfilled.
Reception intake in the “Portslade Primary” planning area
Brighton and Hove counted 206 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 152 in 2029–30, down 26%.
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 Benfield Primary School attended 93.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 20.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 5.9% |
| Unauthorised absence | 0.9% |
| Severely absent pupils | 1.5% |
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, 3.3% of pupils at Benfield Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 5.7 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 |
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 Benfield Primary School had 20.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.2% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 11.0 | 12.1 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 20.2% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 31.6% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 1.2 | – |
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 Benfield Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 14 | 6 |
| Speech, language and communication needs | 12 | 6 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 4 | 1 |
| Vision impairment | 2 | 1 |
| Moderate learning difficulty | 1 | 1 |
| Physical disability | 1 | 1 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 2 | 0 |
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 Benfield Primary School received £9,475 and spent £9,457 for each of its 211 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £144,000 (£681 per pupil).
Across all 24 schools of The Compass Partnership of Schools, income was £10,246 and spending £9,845 per pupil.
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £144,000 |
| per pupil | £681 |
| In-year balance | £4,000 |
| per pupil | £18 |
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.
| Name | Distance |
|
Brackenbury Primary School
Locks Hill, Portslade, Brighton, East Sussex, BN41 2LA |
0.33 miles |
|
St Nicolas CofE Primary School
Locks Hill, Portslade, Brighton, East Sussex, BN41 2LA |
0.36 miles |
|
St Mary's Catholic Primary School
Church Road, Portslade, Brighton, East Sussex, BN41 1LB |
0.41 miles |
|
Peter Gladwin Primary School
Drove Road, Portslade, Brighton, East Sussex, BN41 2PA |
0.61 miles |
|
Goldstone Primary School
Laburnum Avenue, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 7JW |
0.76 miles |
|
Hove Junior School
Portland Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 5JA |
0.82 miles |
|
West Hove Infant School
Portland Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 5JA |
0.82 miles |
|
Eastbrook Primary Academy
Manor Hall Road, Southwick, Brighton, West Sussex, BN42 4NF |
0.84 miles |
|
Hangleton Primary School
Dale View, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 8LF |
0.92 miles |
|
St Christopher's School
33 New Church Road, Hove, BN3 4AD |
1.26 miles |
|
Mile Oak Primary School
Graham Avenue, Portslade, Brighton, East Sussex, BN41 2WN |
1.27 miles |
|
West Blatchington Primary and Nursery School
Hangleton Way, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 8BN |
1.35 miles |
|
Aldrington CofE Primary School
Eridge Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 7QD |
1.39 miles |
|
Glebe Primary School
Church Lane, Southwick, Brighton, West Sussex, BN42 4GB |
1.46 miles |
|
Bilingual Primary School - Brighton & Hove
The Droveway, Hove, Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, BN3 7QA |
1.59 miles |
|
St Andrew's CofE (Aided) Primary School
Belfast Street, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 3YT |
1.6 miles |
|
Holmbush Primary Academy
Hawkins Crescent, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 6TN |
1.67 miles |
|
Herons Dale School
Hawkins Crescent, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 6TN |
1.7 miles |
|
Cottesmore St Mary's Catholic Primary School
The Upper Drive, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 6NB |
2.13 miles |
|
Lancing College Preparatory School At Hove
The Droveway, Hove, BN3 6LU |
2.18 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Hove Micro-School
221 Manor Hall Road, Southwick, BN42 4NR |
0.49 miles |
|
Hill Park School
Foredown Road, Portslade, Brighton, East Sussex, BN41 2FU |
0.62 miles |
|
The Lioncare School
87 Payne Avenue, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 5HD |
0.94 miles |
|
Portslade Aldridge Community Academy
Chalky Road, Portslade, Brighton, East Sussex, BN41 2WS |
1.14 miles |
|
Hove Park School and Sixth Form Centre
Nevill Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 7BN |
1.32 miles |
|
Blatchington Mill School
Nevill Avenue, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 7BW |
1.34 miles |
|
King's School
Hangleton Way, Hove, BN3 8BN |
1.38 miles |
|
Brighton and Hove Clinic School
14-18 New Church Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 4FH |
1.41 miles |
|
Shoreham Academy
Kingston Lane, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 6YT |
1.57 miles |
|
Shoreham College
|
1.66 miles |
|
The Montessori Place
45 Cromwell Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 3ER |
2.05 miles |
|
Cardinal Newman Catholic School
The Upper Drive, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 6ND |
2.26 miles |
|
Brighton Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College
205 Dyke Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 6EG |
2.55 miles |
|
Brighton Girls GDST
|
2.58 miles |
|
Dorothy Stringer School
Loder Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 6PZ |
2.99 miles |
|
Varndean College
Surrenden Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 6WQ |
3.04 miles |
|
Varndean School
Balfour Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 6NP |
3.28 miles |
|
Kings Brighton
27-33 Ditchling Road, Brighton, BN1 4SB |
3.3 miles |
|
Patcham High School
Ladies Mile Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 8PB |
3.33 miles |
|
Brighton College
Eastern Road, Brighton, BN2 0AL |
3.99 miles |
All schools in Brighton · Brighton and Hove local authority: places and applications
Benfield Primary School is part of The Compass Partnership of Schools, which runs 28 schools. The nearest others:
- Hangleton Primary School Hove
- Woodingdean Primary School Brighton
- Horn Park Primary School London
- Alderwood Primary School London
- Wingfield Primary School London
- Deansfield Primary School London
- Rowan Wood School London
- Kidbrooke Park Primary School London
- Halstow Primary School London
- Willow Dene School Plumstead
What is Benfield Primary School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for Benfield Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2019 of its predecessor, Benfield Primary School.
When was Benfield Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?
Benfield Primary School was last inspected in September 2024.
How many pupils does Benfield Primary School have?
Benfield Primary School has 209 pupils on roll.
What age range does Benfield Primary School cover?
Benfield Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.
What are Benfield Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?
In 2025, 50% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Where is Benfield Primary School?
Benfield Primary School is at 255 Old Shoreham Road, Portslade, Brighton, East Sussex, BN41 1XS.