Elm Grove Primary School, Brighton
Elm Grove Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Brighton. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 25th-highest of the 36 schools in Brighton with published results, and 11,772nd of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Brighton and Hove (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Elm Grove Primary School in detail
Elm Grove Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Elm Grove’s mission is to provide a positive learning environment for all, where children and adults are included, value each other and are supported to thrive. This is captured in our motto: In 2022 Elm Grove’s governors set out a new 5-year strategic framework and vision for the school."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include dance and choir.
The school runs a breakfast club from 8:00am and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils at Elm Grove Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 54% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 69% in Brighton and Hove and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 78% in reading and 61% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Elm Grove Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 63 families put Elm Grove Primary School as their first choice and 225 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 5 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Elm Grove Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Elm Grove Primary School are Fairlight Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 67% reading, 71% maths); St Martin's CofE Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 76% reading, 64% maths); St Luke's Primary School (0.3 miles, Outstanding, 80% reading, 73% maths); and Coombe Road Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 68% reading, 53% maths).
Elm Grove Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Fairlight Primary SchoolSt Martin's CofE Primary SchoolSt Luke's Primary SchoolCoombe Road Primary School
Who goes there
9.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (76%) and Mixed (11%).
In 2026, 87 pupils (21.5%) received SEN support and 10 (2.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is London Road (Brighton) Rail Station, about 1200 metres away (roughly a 15-minute walk).
24 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bonchurch Road (adjacent), 20 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 1201 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Brighton and Hove (366), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Elm Grove Primary School issued 6 suspensions, 1.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Brighton and Hove published that the last place for 2027 entry went to a family 2,351 metres away (straight line). The cut-off moves every year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from September 2017, 9 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2017 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
20.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 77% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 61% to 54% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 63% to 55% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.9
Avg class size
28.2
Infant (KS1)
29.4
KS2
14
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Elm Grove Primary School
Summer 1 2026 Newsletter
2 Jun 2026
March Newsletter 2026
13 Apr 2026
January Newsletter 2026
2 Mar 2026
February Newsletter 2026
2 Mar 2026
December Newsletter 2025
5 Jan 2026
November Newsletter 2025
27 Nov 2025
From Elm Grove Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Elm Grove Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Elm Grove Primary School.
- Elm Grove Out of School ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
- Junior Adventures Group @ Fairlight450m away · Not yet graded
- ActiveMe 360 CIC @ Coombe Road Primary School990m away · Not yet graded
- VIM Clubs1000m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Elm Grove Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Elm Grove Primary School is in Brighton and Hove; for families living there:
Apply to Brighton and Hove for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 61
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 17
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 61 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 17 serious and 44 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle.
11 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Brighton and Hove is 40.5 (the median across 82 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Elm Grove Primary School
Will you get a place at Elm Grove Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Elm Grove Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Elm Grove Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Elm Grove Primary School.
- Last distance offered for 2027 entry, from Brighton and Hove's own figures, and how your distance compares each year.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Elm Grove Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Brighton and Hove got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
99%
Near capacity
415 pupils
420 places
5 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Brighton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Brighton
Across Brighton and Hove council
Places available
2,430
Applications
1,936
Got 1st preference
93.8%
Got preferred school
99.4%
All primary applications across Brighton and Hove council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
87
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
24.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
404
Total Pupils
194
Boys
210
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
18.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,951
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,102
Per pupil
£2327k
Total funding
£109k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.8%
Overall absence
16.7%
Persistent absence
372
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Elm Grove Primary School
What are SATs results like at Elm Grove Primary School?
Of the pupils at Elm Grove Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 77% reached the expected standard in reading and 54% did so in maths.
What is Elm Grove Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Elm Grove Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2017, it was rated Good.
How close to Elm Grove Primary School do you need to live?
Brighton and Hove published for September 2027 entry that the last place offered at Elm Grove Primary School on distance went to a family 2351 metres away. This is the authority's own figure for one year, not a fixed boundary - the cut-off moves with the number of applications, so treat it as a guide rather than a guarantee.
Is it hard to get a place at Elm Grove Primary School?
Elm Grove Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Elm Grove Primary School?
Classes at Elm Grove Primary School average 28.9 pupils (2025/26). 3 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Elm Grove Primary School?
Elm Grove Primary School has around 404 pupils on roll. 21% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Elm Grove Primary School?
5.8% of sessions were missed at Elm Grove Primary School in 2024/25. 16.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Elm Grove Primary School?
Apply through Brighton and Hove's coordinated admissions process, naming Elm Grove Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Elm Grove Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Elm Grove Out of School Club (registered, not yet graded). There are 3 more within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Elm Grove Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 61 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 17 serious and 44 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle. 11 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Brighton and Hove is 40.5 (the median across 82 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Elm Grove Primary School?
Elm Grove Primary School is at Elm Grove, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 3ES.
Sources: Brighton and Hove admissions booklet; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)