Southwater Junior Academy, Horsham
Southwater Junior Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 7 to 11 in Horsham, part of The Southwater Junior Academy. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 16th-highest of the 26 schools in Horsham with published results, and 4,824th of 14,452 across England. It was 92% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Capacity
- 92% full
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Southwater Junior Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils at Southwater Junior Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 80% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 72% in West Sussex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (75% in reading, 84% in maths).
Getting a place at Southwater Junior Academy
Across West Sussex, 92% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in West Sussex lodged 236 appeals against primary school offers; 139 reached a hearing and 9 succeeded (6.5% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Southwater Junior Academy are Southwater Infant Academy (under 0.1 miles, Good); Castlewood Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 90% reading, 90% maths); Barns Green Primary School (1.8 miles, Good, 95% reading, 100% maths); and St Andrew's CofE Primary School (2.2 miles, Good, 88% reading, 94% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Southwater Junior Academy.
Southwater Infant AcademyCastlewood Primary SchoolBarns Green Primary SchoolSt Andrew's CofE Primary School
The trust
Southwater Junior Academy is run by its own single-school academy trust.
Who goes there
8.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
Southwater Junior Academy had 28 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Christs Hospital Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Southwater Junior Academy (outside), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Southwater Junior Academy stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 8th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 31 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in West Sussex (103).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Southwater Junior Academy issued 9 suspensions, 2 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; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from May 2013, 13 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 May 2013 inspection - down from Outstanding.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
8.8%
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 improved from 75% to 84% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 84% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 77% to 81% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.8
Avg class size
29.8
KS2
12
Total classes
6 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Southwater Junior Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Southwater Junior Academy.
- VIM Camps Ltd460m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Southwater Junior Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see West Sussex's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Southwater Junior Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Southwater Junior Academy is in West Sussex; for families living there:
Apply to West Sussex for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 3 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 West Sussex is 11 (the median across 337 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
92%
Near capacity
443 pupils
480 places
37 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Horsham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Horsham
Across West Sussex council
Places available
9,608
Applications
8,127
Got 1st preference
92.4%
Got preferred school
99.2%
All primary applications across West Sussex council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
66
SEN Support
17
EHC Plans
18.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
445
Total Pupils
238
Boys
207
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
28
Teachers
15.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,631
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£2315k
Total funding
£52k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.6%
Overall absence
4.9%
Persistent absence
449
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Southwater Junior Academy
What are SATs results like at Southwater Junior Academy?
Of the pupils at Southwater Junior Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 84% reached the expected standard in reading and 80% did so in maths.
What is Southwater Junior Academy's Ofsted rating?
Southwater Junior Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Southwater Junior Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Southwater Junior Academy is oversubscribed, West Sussex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Southwater Junior Academy?
Southwater Junior Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 480 places.
How big are the classes at Southwater Junior Academy?
Classes at Southwater Junior Academy average 29.8 pupils (2025/26). 6 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Southwater Junior Academy?
Southwater Junior Academy has around 445 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Southwater Junior Academy?
3.6% of sessions were missed at Southwater Junior Academy in 2024/25. 4.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Southwater Junior Academy?
Apply through West Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Southwater Junior Academy on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
Does Southwater Junior Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Southwater Junior Academy: VIM Camps Ltd (460m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Southwater Junior Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 3 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 West Sussex is 11 (the median across 337 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Southwater Junior Academy?
Southwater Junior Academy is at Worthing Road, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 9JH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)