School Chooser

St Luke's Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedCouncil622 pupilsBrightonBrighton and Hove
School Chooser Score
61
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 43 to 75
Out of 100. Better than 70% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, March 2025
Reached the expected level at 1160%England 63%
Attendance94.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families20%A bit fewer than most schools
Places8 spare622 pupils, 630 places
Pupils per teacher22.5School workforce census

St Luke's Primary School is a council school in Brighton for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 622 pupils and room for 630. About 20 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 61 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 70% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.

Queens Park Rise, Brighton, BN2 9ZF01273 675080stlukesprimarybrighton.orgMr Simon Wattam headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 11 March 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1160%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level1%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score108.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score105.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 81%81%20172018: 71%71%20182019: 79%79%20192023: 77%77%20232024: 66%66%20242025: 60%60%2025
Since 2017: -21%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017Brighton and HoveEngland
Pupils tested849087879090
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths60%66%77%79%71%81%58%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths1%13%15%20%16%18%5%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score108.0109.0110.0108.0107.0110.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0105.0106.0107.0105.0108.0103.6104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score106.0106.0108.0108.0107.0109.0104.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard80%84%83%85%86%83%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard73%72%82%90%76%87%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)70%83%87%93%89%89%
Reading progressReading progress score+2.4+2.2+0.7+4.0
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.5+1.4+0.1+2.3
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged26%44%50%56%48%43%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged69%71%83%85%84%93%

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
26%69%
Gap 43 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
57%63%
Gap 6 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%1%
Gap 1 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 full621 pupils for 630 places, 2024/25
99% 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?

The last child to get a place lived 1.0 miles away in 2026, 1.3 miles away in 2025, 770 m away in 2024. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.

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 2026. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 1.0 miles from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year. 94 families put it down as their first choice and 86 of them got in (92%).

EntryPlacesPut it firstApplied at allGot a placeFirst choices who got inHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary90942439092%1.0 milesLA
2025 Primary90952109091%1.3 milesLA
2024 Primary901352859066%770 mLA
2023 Primary907822187100%all offeredLA

The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.

What a home within 1.0 miles of the school costs

Typical sale price within 1.0 miles of the school£380,000half sold for £273k to £500k
Homes sold1,770December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district-8%a typical home in the district sells for £412,500

Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.

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 roll622Census January 2026
Places63099% full
Pupils from low-income families20%20% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English10%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support22%135 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%23 pupils with a plan
Average class size29.721 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)18%£172,050 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls327 / 295
White British pupils71%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 30.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.4 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (77), emotional and mental health (42), language and communications needs (21), Specific learning difficulty (8), Moderate learning difficulty (4), Hearing impairment (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll622625627626628627
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals20%19%17%17%18%16%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language10%9%10%8%9%8%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support14%15%9%9%7%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%3%2%1%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school9.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.4%5.1%4.4%5.5%2.3%3.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.3%4.0%3.8%4.8%2.0%2.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.1%1.1%0.7%0.7%0.3%0.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence9.8%10.2%8.4%10.4%4.2%6.2%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.30.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers27.6full-time equivalent, 34 people
Pupils per teacher22.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers97%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants20.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,221
Teachers who left in the year7%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.72024/25

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£6,490England £7,738. Total £4.1m
Income per pupil£6,027England £7,697. Total £3.8m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,183England £3,480
Money in reserve-10%In the red: -£372k, -£595 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£290kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£6,490spent 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 m56512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate48 per 1,000 people48% lower than the England average
Typical house price£412,500Brighton and Hove
Nearest bus stop70 mQueen's Park Terrace, 41 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
Elm Grove Primary SchoolCouncil500 m404Good 202318Compare
Queen's Park Primary SchoolCouncil580 m286Requires improvement 20232Compare
St John the Baptist Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic630 m193No overall grade 202413Compare
Carlton Hill Primary SchoolCouncil800 m215Good 202457Compare
Fairlight Primary SchoolCouncil920 m393Good 202434Compare
City Academy WhitehawkAcademy940 m323Good 202416Compare
St Martin's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England960 m212Good 202426Compare
St Mark's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England0.6 miles156No overall grade 202512Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Luke's Primary School with the 46 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 46 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats70%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 61 is 17 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 4 · middle 44 · highest 97100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 61 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 61% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 43 to 75. 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
+0.07
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 84 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%above
+0.12
Ofsted grade, 1.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
+0.07
DfE progress measure; 84 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.18
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.02
2024/25; 554 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
+0.02
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 84 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 St Luke's Primary School a good school?

It is about average. St Luke's Primary School scores 61 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 70% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 43 to 75, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is St Luke's Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Luke's Primary School not judged at its last full inspection on 11 March 2025.

How good are St Luke's Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 60% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 1% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does St Luke's Primary School have?

622 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 630 places, so it is 99% full.

Is St Luke's Primary School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?

Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 1.0 miles away. 94 families put it down as their first choice and 86 of them got in. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.

What is attendance like at St Luke's Primary School?

Pupils were in school 94.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 10% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Luke's Primary School?

The average class had 29.7 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
Queens Park Rise, Brighton, BN2 9ZF
Telephone
01273 675080
Website
www.stlukesprimarybrighton.org
Headteacher
Mr Simon Wattam
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Brighton and Hove
Ward
Queen's Park
Constituency
Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
114374 · LAESTAB 8462026 · UKPRN 10072149
Formerly
St Luke's Infant School

Where these figures come from