School Chooser

Southbourne Junior School

Primary · ages 7-11MixedCouncil228 pupilsEmsworthWest Sussex
School Chooser Score
33
Below
similar schools
Likely range 19 to 52, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 30% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, June 2023
Reached the expected level at 1156%England 63%
Attendance94.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families20%A bit fewer than most schools
Places12 spare228 pupils, 240 places
Pupils per teacher22.1School workforce census

Southbourne Junior School is a council school in Emsworth for boys and girls aged 7 to 11. It has 228 pupils and room for 240. About 20 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 33 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 30% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

New Road, Southbourne, Emsworth, PO10 8JX01243 375878southbournejuniors.co.ukMrs Louise Gasser headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 15 June 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

54 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1156%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level4%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 67%67%20172018: 65%65%20182019: 70%70%20192023: 51%51%20232024: 62%62%20242025: 56%56%2025
Since 2017: -11%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017West SussexEngland
Pupils tested546060615552
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths56%62%51%70%65%67%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths4%10%2%8%16%0%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0107.0105.0107.0105.0106.0105.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0102.0101.0105.0103.0104.0103.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0105.0103.0106.0105.0106.0104.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard65%82%73%77%78%85%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard69%65%57%80%67%71%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)65%78%66%82%82%79%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.1+2.8-0.7+0.9
Maths progressMaths progress score-3.0+0.1-2.0-1.7
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged25%22%31%29%33%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged64%69%57%76%72%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 3 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
25%64%
Gap 39 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
46%65%
Gap 19 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%4%
Gap 4 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Nearly full228 pupils for 240 places, 2024/25
95% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Will my child get a place?

In 2025 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2025. Every child who applied got a place (59 offers for 60 places).

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2025 Primary605959all offeredLA

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll228Census January 2026
Places24095% full
Pupils from low-income families20%20% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English1%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support21%48 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%7 pupils with a plan
Average class size28.58 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)20%£69,750 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls119 / 109
White British pupils93%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (15), language and communications needs (15), Moderate learning difficulty (11), Autistic spectrum disorder (4), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (4), Hearing impairment (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll228225236235232233
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals20%18%20%21%16%11%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language1%2%3%1%1%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support16%18%17%16%13%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%2%2%2%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school15.5%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.92024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.8%6.3%5.8%6.2%4.0%4.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.0%4.6%4.6%5.5%3.2%3.2%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.8%1.7%1.2%0.7%0.8%1.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence15.5%16.8%14.4%16.6%10.0%8.9%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.93.83.01.31.3
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00100

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers10.3full-time equivalent, 12 people
Pupils per teacher22.1Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants8.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£48,920
Teachers who left in the year13%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.52024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£5,876England £7,738. Total £1.3m
Income per pupil£6,096England £7,697. Total £1.4m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,019England £3,480
Money in reserve7%Not much put by: £102k, £454 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£50kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£5,876spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m10612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate43 per 1,000 people53% lower than the England average
Typical house price£425,000Chichester
Nearest bus stop160 mSouthbourne Railway Station, 12 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Southbourne Infant SchoolCouncil0 m176Good 202327Compare
Chidham Parochial Primary SchoolChurch of England1.4 miles173Good 202460Compare
Westbourne Primary SchoolCouncil1.5 miles144No overall grade 20255Compare
St James Church of England Controlled Primary SchoolChurch of England1.6 miles224Good 202358Compare
Emsworth Primary SchoolCouncil1.9 miles407Good 202334Compare
Thorney Island Community Primary SchoolCouncil2.0 miles180Good 202353Compare
Funtington Primary SchoolCouncil2.5 miles116No overall grade 202422Compare
Bosham Primary SchoolCouncil2.7 miles204Good 202455Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Southbourne Junior School with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats30%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 33 is 13 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 45 · highest 88100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 33 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 33% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 19 to 52. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
-0.06
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 54 pupils
Ofsted inspection20% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.2 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.10
DfE progress measure; 54 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
+0.02
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.03
2024/25; 233 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.06
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 54 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Southbourne Junior School a good school?

The figures are weak. Southbourne Junior School scores 33 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 30% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 19 to 52, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Southbourne Junior School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Southbourne Junior School good at its last full inspection on 15 June 2023.

How good are Southbourne Junior School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 56% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 4% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Southbourne Junior School have?

228 pupils aged 7 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 240 places, so it is 95% full.

Is Southbourne Junior School oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at Southbourne Junior School?

Pupils were in school 94.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 15% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Southbourne Junior School?

The average class had 28.5 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
New Road, Southbourne, Emsworth, PO10 8JX
Telephone
01243 375878
Website
www.southbournejuniors.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Louise Gasser
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 7-11
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
West Sussex
Ward
Southbourne
Constituency
Chichester
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
125878 · LAESTAB 9382110 · UKPRN 10075078

Where these figures come from