Southwater Junior Academy

Horsham · RH13 9JH

General information Junior School · 7-11 years Who goes here 445 pupils, 8.8% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 14.8% on SEN support Behaviour 3.6% absence rate Staff 6.7% turnover Financials £5,398 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Southwater Junior Academy

General Information

Address: Worthing Road, Southwater, Horsham, RH13 9JH – View on map
Phone: 01403730475
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Rebecca Toogood
Age range: 7-11 years
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

445 pupils out of 480 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 39
% eligible for free school meals: 8.8%
Pupil mix: 3 in 10 (similar to the Horsham average)
English as an additional language: 13% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 6.7% a year (Horsham 13.6%, typical in England 13.9%) Low turnover
Where they went: about 100% moved to another school, 0% 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 West Sussex: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 12 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
Suspensions for bullying: 10 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 4 (0.1 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 West 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: 3.6%
Persistently absent pupils: 4.9%
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: 14.8%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.8%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Specific learning difficulty: 24 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 21 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 9 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 6 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 2 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 7 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 4 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 4 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil

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 2023 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: 69% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 9% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 5 percentage points above the Horsham average (64%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 68% against an expected 66%)
3-year average (expected standard): 68%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 84% · Writing 81% · Maths 80% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 85%
Average test scores: reading 107, maths 105
Based on: 108 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 schoolHorsham 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 5 percentage points above the Horsham average (64%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 14th of 38 junior and primary schools in the area

#12Jolesfield CofE Primary School71%
#13Ashurst CofE Primary School70%
=14Southwater Junior Academy69%
=14St Andrew's CofE Primary School69%
#16North Heath Community Primary School68%

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

#1Heron Way Primary School95%
#2Barns Green Primary School89%
#3St Robert Southwell Catholic Primary School, Horsham83%
#4Kingslea Primary School79%
#5St Peter's CofE (Aided) Primary School78%
#6All Saints CofE Primary School, Horsham77%
#7Arunside School, Horsham75%
=8Billingshurst Primary Academy74%
=8Holbrook Primary School74%
#10Leechpool Primary School73%
#11Castlewood Primary School72%
#12Jolesfield CofE Primary School71%
#13Ashurst CofE Primary School70%
=14Southwater Junior Academy69%
=14St Andrew's CofE Primary School69%
#16North Heath Community Primary School68%
#17St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School67%
#18William Penn School64%
=19Shelley Primary School63%
=19Thakeham Primary School63%
#21Upper Beeding Primary School61%
=22Ashington CofE Primary School60%
=22St John's Catholic Primary School60%
#24Steyning CofE Primary School58%
#25Greenway Junior School57%
#26West Chiltington Community Primary School56%
=27St Mary's CofE Primary School53%
=27Storrington Primary School53%
#29St Peter's CofE Primary School52%
=30Colgate Primary School50%
=30Rudgwick Primary School50%
=30Shipley CofE Primary School50%
#33Warnham CofE Primary School48%
#34Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Lower Beeding40%
#35St Mary's Church of England Primary School39%
#36Oakfields Primary School, Horsham31%
#37St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham20%
#38Slinfold CofE Primary School and Pre School18%

View full Ofsted inspection report

2nd of 2 junior schools in Horsham for Ofsted rating

#1Greenway Junior SchoolGood
#2Southwater Junior AcademyGood

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

#1Greenway Junior SchoolGood
#2Southwater Junior AcademyGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £5,398 (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.

2nd of 2 junior schools in Horsham for spending per pupil

#1Greenway Junior School£6,111
#2Southwater Junior Academy£5,398

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

#1Greenway Junior School£6,111
#2Southwater Junior Academy£5,398

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

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