School Chooser

Waterside Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedCouncil170 pupilsSouthamptonHampshire
School Chooser Score
28
Below
similar schools
Likely range 13 to 53, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 44% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, November 2024
Reached the expected level at 1157%England 63%
Attendance94.5%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families42%Far more than most schools
Places40 spare170 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher16.0School workforce census

Waterside Primary School is a council school in Southampton for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 170 pupils and room for 210. About 42 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 28 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 44% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Ashford Crescent, Hythe, Southampton, SO45 6ET023 8084 2143waterside.hants.sch.ukMrs Emma Moakes headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 12 November 2024, 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”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1157%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score103.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score102.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 17%17%20172018: 57%57%20182019: 29%29%20192023: 63%63%20232024: 53%53%20242025: 57%57%2025
Since 2017: +40%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017HampshireEngland
Pupils tested303027313024
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths57%53%63%29%57%17%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%7%0%9%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0104.0104.099.0106.098.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score102.0100.0103.0100.0105.095.0104.3104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score101.0100.0100.0101.0103.099.0104.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard63%70%67%45%77%38%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard63%57%81%55%73%25%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)70%67%74%68%63%50%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.5-2.8+0.0-4.3
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.9-2.7+0.2-6.8
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged38%44%67%7%18%9%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged79%64%60%47%79%23%

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. 2 of the 3 gaps are 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
38%79%
Gap 41 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
56%57%
Gap 1 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 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.

Plenty of spare places177 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
84% full

33 places were empty (16% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 6% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 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 2026. Every child who applied got a place (21 offers for 30 places).

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary303721all offeredLA
2025 Primary304923all offeredLA
2024 Primary304719all offeredLA
2023 Primary305230all offeredLA
2022 Primary305224all 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 roll170Census January 2026
Places21081% full
Pupils from low-income families42%42% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English10%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support17%29 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan7%11 pupils with a plan
Average class size27.04 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)42%£113,150 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls85 / 85
White British pupils79%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 24.5 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (14), Moderate learning difficulty (12), emotional and mental health (11), Autistic spectrum disorder (1), Physical disability (1), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll170175185185192188
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals42%47%42%40%38%36%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language10%11%8%8%8%5%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support18%16%10%12%12%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans6%5%3%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.5%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school11.5%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils7.42024/25, 1 permanent exclusion
Missed without permission1.6%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.5%6.1%5.7%7.3%3.1%4.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.9%3.6%3.5%6.0%2.6%3.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.6%2.5%2.2%1.3%0.5%0.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence11.5%16.3%17.3%24.3%8.1%13.2%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate7.41.64.93.73.2
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions10000

Staff and money

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

Teachers10.6full-time equivalent, 12 people
Pupils per teacher16.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants6.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,621
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.82024/25

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£7,623England £7,738. Total £1.3m
Income per pupil£7,883England £7,697. Total £1.4m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,814England £3,480
Money in reserve22%A lot put by: £303k, £1,732 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£46kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,623spent 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 m15712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate52 per 1,000 people43% lower than the England average
Typical house price£382,750New Forest
Nearest bus stop60 mSeward Road, 15 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
Hythe Primary SchoolCouncil730 m238Good 202239Compare
Orchard Junior SchoolCouncil0.8 miles355Report card 202630Compare
Orchard Infant SchoolAcademy0.8 miles270Outstanding 2022Compare
Wildground Junior SchoolCouncil0.9 miles197Not inspected76Compare
Wildground Infant SchoolCouncil0.9 miles185Good 202321Compare
Weston Shore Infant SchoolAcademy2.0 miles64Good 202311Compare
Manor Church of England Infant SchoolChurch of England2.1 miles49Good 202342Compare
Netley Abbey Junior SchoolCouncil2.3 miles341Good 202311Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Waterside Primary School with the 48 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 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats44%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 28 is 4 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 32 · highest 95100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 28 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 28% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 13 to 53. 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%below
-0.14
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 30 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 1.8 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.06
DfE progress measure; 30 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.06
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
0.00
2024/25; 166 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
-0.03
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 30 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 Waterside Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Waterside Primary School scores 28 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 44% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 13 to 53, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Waterside Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Waterside Primary School not judged at its last full inspection on 12 November 2024.

How good are Waterside Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 57% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Waterside Primary School have?

170 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 81% full.

Is Waterside Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 33 places were empty in 2024/25 (16% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Waterside Primary School?

Pupils were in school 94.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 11% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Waterside Primary School?

The average class had 27.0 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
Ashford Crescent, Hythe, Southampton, SO45 6ET
Telephone
023 8084 2143
Website
www.waterside.hants.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Emma Moakes
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Hampshire
Ward
Hythe South
Constituency
New Forest East
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
115899 · LAESTAB 8502089 · UKPRN 10080643
Formerly
Langdown Junior School

Where these figures come from