Drive Preparatory School, Hove

All-through
Other independent school
Mixed
Ages 716

Data last updated 10 Jun 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Susan PARKINSON
Pupils:35 / 80 capacity
LA:Brighton and Hove
Phone:07905666112
Address:101 The Drive, Hove, BN3 6GE
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:4 December 1996

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 3 months ago
-

Overall

Inspected 9 June 2026
URN:131127
UKPRN:10018000
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Hove and Portslade
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

The school provides a warm, nurturing environment where pupils develop trusting relationships with staff and benefit from focused individual attention. However, serious weaknesses in safeguarding, building safety, and curriculum quality mean parents should be aware of significant concerns about their child's safety and education.

Key Strengths

  • Pupils enjoy positive relationships with staff and peers in a small, family-feel environment
  • Most pupils listen and pay attention in lessons
  • Small class sizes allow focused adult support for pupils who struggle with behaviour

Areas for Improvement

  • Safeguarding arrangements are not effective and pupils are at risk of harm
  • Building is in poor repair with serious fire safety concerns not addressed
  • Curriculum is not logically ordered and pupils do not build on prior learning
  • Phonics teaching is inconsistent and pupils do not learn to read well
  • PSHE and relationships education teaching does not meet legal requirements

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are not effective - the school has not completed required vetting checks on staff, does not always recognise serious concerns, and has left pupils at risk of harm.

Extracurricular Activities

Community trips to practise life skills such as accessing public transport, enrichment clubs, careers guidance for Year 10-11 pupils

Drive Preparatory School has been rated Inadequate overall. The school fails to prioritise pupil safety and well-being, with ineffective safeguarding arrangements that have left pupils at risk of harm.

At a Glance

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

17 responses
Would recommend77%
Child is happy71%
Well taught65%
Good progress59%
Feels safe77%
Well behaved77%
Bullying dealt with12%
Kept informed65%
Handles concerns59%
Wider development59%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Hove Rail Station
156m · 3 min walk

Bus Stops

Hove Railway Station (N-bound)
202m · 3 min walk
Hove Park Villas (adj)
244m · 4 min walk
Hove Park South (opp)
301m · 5 min walk
The Upper Drive (opp)
353m · 6 min walk
The Drive (adj)
362m · 6 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

44%

Available places

35 pupils

80 capacity

45 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Hove

Low pressure
New homes approved:1,248
Projected new pupils:225

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Hove

Admissions Demand - Brighton and Hove

Low demand0.87x oversubscription

Places available

2,575

Applications

2,229

Got 1st preference

79.5%

Got preferred school

96.8%

Secondary admissions across Brighton and Hove (2025/26)

Inspection History(9)

9 June 2026
-
20 May 2025
10 December 2024

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SEN Provision

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Pupil Demographics

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