Southover CofE Primary School

Lewes · BN7 1JP

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 288 pupils, 18.8% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 21.2% on SEN support Behaviour 4.9% absence rate Staff 8.2% turnover Financials £7,048 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Southover CofE Primary School

General Information

Address: Potters Lane, Lewes, BN7 1JP – View on map
Phone: 01273473015
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Noel Fadden
Age range: 4-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 32 families put it first for 33 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 9 · 2024 8 · 2025 8 · 2026 10
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Church of England
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

288 pupils out of 315 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 54
% eligible for free school meals: 18.8%
Pupil mix: 4 in 10 (more mixed than the Lewes average)
English as an additional language: 6% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 8.2% a year (Lewes 18.6%, typical in England 13.9%) Low turnover
Where they went: about 30% moved to another school, 70% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. "Low turnover" means it's among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across East Sussex: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 3 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
Suspensions for bullying: 7 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 0 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in East Sussex (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 4.9%
Persistently absent pupils: 10.2%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 21.2%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 1.7%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 25 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 14 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 11 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 6 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 3 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 3 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 2 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 60% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 23% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 4 percentage points below the Lewes average (64%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 63% against an expected 61%)
3-year average (expected standard): 63%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 77% · Writing 70% · Maths 60% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 67%
Average test scores: reading 110, maths 104
Based on: 30 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolLewes averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 4 percentage points below the Lewes average (64%).

Year 6 SATs: 16th of 24 junior and primary schools in the area

#14Chyngton School65%
#15Telscombe Cliffs Academy62%
#16Southover CofE Primary School60%
#17Iford and Kingston Church of England Primary School58%
#18Wallands Community Primary and Nursery School53%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

=1Breakwater Academy81%
=1Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School81%
#3Peacehaven Heights Academy79%
#4High Cliff Academy76%
#5Harbour Primary and Nursery School74%
#6Seaford Primary School72%
=7Hamsey Community Primary School70%
=7Western Road Community Primary School70%
=9Annecy Catholic Primary School69%
=9Cradle Hill Community Primary School69%
=9Wivelsfield Primary School and Nursery69%
=12Newick Church of England Primary School67%
=12South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School67%
#14Chyngton School65%
#15Telscombe Cliffs Academy62%
#16Southover CofE Primary School60%
#17Iford and Kingston Church of England Primary School58%
#18Wallands Community Primary and Nursery School53%
#19Denton Community Primary School and Nursery52%
#20Plumpton Primary School50%
#21Barcombe Church of England Primary School44%
#22Meridian Community Primary School and Nursery31%
#23Chailey St Peter's Church of England Primary School27%
#24Firle Church of England Primary School14%

View full Ofsted inspection report

12th of 15 primary schools in Lewes for Ofsted rating

#10Ringmer Primary and Nursery SchoolGood
#11South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery SchoolGood
#12Southover CofE Primary SchoolGood
#13Wallands Community Primary and Nursery SchoolGood
#14Western Road Community Primary SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Annecy Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#2Breakwater AcademyGood
#3Cradle Hill Community Primary SchoolGood
#4Denton Community Primary School and NurseryGood
#5Hamsey Community Primary SchoolGood
#6Harbour Primary and Nursery SchoolGood
#7Iford and Kingston Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#8Meridian Community Primary School and NurseryGood
#9Plumpton Primary SchoolGood
#10Ringmer Primary and Nursery SchoolGood
#11South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery SchoolGood
#12Southover CofE Primary SchoolGood
#13Wallands Community Primary and Nursery SchoolGood
#14Western Road Community Primary SchoolGood
#15Wivelsfield Primary School and NurseryGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £7,048 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

9th of 22 primary schools in Lewes for spending per pupil

#7Harbour Primary and Nursery School£7,283
#8Wallands Community Primary and Nursery School£7,278
#9Southover CofE Primary School£7,048
#10Plumpton Primary School£7,011
#11Chyngton School£6,910

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Firle Church of England Primary School£11,733
#2Chailey St Peter's Church of England Primary School£8,960
#3Denton Community Primary School and Nursery£8,643
#4Meridian Community Primary School and Nursery£8,171
#5Peacehaven Heights Academy£7,820
#6Telscombe Cliffs Academy£7,629
#7Harbour Primary and Nursery School£7,283
#8Wallands Community Primary and Nursery School£7,278
#9Southover CofE Primary School£7,048
#10Plumpton Primary School£7,011
#11Chyngton School£6,910
#12South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School£6,896
#13Wivelsfield Primary School and Nursery£6,405
#14Newick Church of England Primary School£6,191
#15Cradle Hill Community Primary School£6,145
#16Western Road Community Primary School£6,124
#17Ditchling St Margaret's Church of England Primary School£5,943
#18Annecy Catholic Primary School£5,815
#19Seaford Primary School£5,629
#20High Cliff Academy£4,509
#21Breakwater Academy£4,436
#22Ringmer Primary and Nursery School£3,208

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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