St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Brighton

Primary
Voluntary aided school
Mixed
Roman Catholic
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~589m)Possible (~841m)Unlikely (~1.1km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Claire Smith
Pupils:220 / 218 capacity
LA:Brighton and Hove
Phone:01273553813
Address:Preston Road, Withdean, Brighton, BN1 6UT
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 8 months ago

Report card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)

Achievement
Expected Standard
Behaviour
Expected Standard
Personal Development
Strong Standard
Leadership
Expected Standard
Early Years
Expected Standard
Inspected 6 January 2026View full report
URN:114546
UKPRN:10076885
Diocese:Diocese of Arundel and Brighton
Constituency:Brighton Pavilion
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

St Bernadette's excels at creating a welcoming, inclusive environment where every child feels they belong and can thrive. The school has developed an excellent phonics programme that gives children strong early reading skills, and a comprehensive personal development curriculum that teaches pupils important life skills alongside their academics. Parents appreciate the school's warm community atmosphere, skilled and welcoming staff, and the broad range of clubs and activities that ensure all pupils can participate fully in school life.

Key Strengths

  • Highly inclusive environment with excellent support for pupils with special educational needs, disadvantaged pupils, and those learning English as an additional language
  • Strong phonics programme resulting in Year 1 phonics check results consistently above the national average
  • Comprehensive personal development and wellbeing programme that prepares pupils well for life in Britain
  • Excellent attendance rates consistently above the national average with low persistent absenteeism
  • Well-designed broad curriculum that promotes love of learning across all subjects

Areas for Improvement

  • Some inconsistency in teaching of spelling, handwriting and multiplication tables, which affects pupils' fluency in writing and mathematics
  • A small proportion of pupils who struggle to manage their behaviour could act more responsibly
  • Variations in attainment across different areas mean some pupils do not achieve the highest standards

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met, with leaders creating an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, all legal requirements are fulfilled, and pupils are made safer and feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Extensive range of clubs and activities (specific clubs not named in report)

St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School is a welcoming and inclusive primary school where pupils achieve well and are securely prepared for their future learning. The school has a strong focus on personal development, wellbeing, and reading, with a calm and nurturing community ethos.

At a Glance

12.7%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
ReadingMaths+3ppWriting-7pp

Reading has remained stable at around 84%. Maths has remained stable at around 72%. Writing has declined from 88% to 81%.

Class Sizes

31.0

Avg class size

29.7

Infant (KS1)

32.0

KS2

7

Total classes

4 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Preston Park Rail Station (east entrance)
314m · 5 min walk

Bus Stops

Harrington Road (adj)
115m · 2 min walk
Preston Park - London Road
123m · 2 min walk
Varndean Road (adj)
243m · 4 min walk
Loder Road (adj)
302m · 5 min walk
Preston Drove (opp)
317m · 5 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

101%

Over capacity

220 pupils

218 capacity

2 places over capacity

Area Demand Pressure - Brighton

Low pressure
New homes approved:3,587
Projected new pupils:897

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Brighton

Admissions Demand - Brighton and Hove

Low demand0.81x oversubscription

Places available

2,430

Applications

1,965

Got 1st preference

91.2%

Got preferred school

99.1%

Primary admissions across Brighton and Hove (2025/26)

Inspection History(7)

6 January 2026Report card
Achievement
Behaviour
Personal Development
Leadership
Early Years
9 November 2021
22 November 2016

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

4.5413%

Overall absence

6.87831%

Persistent absence

189

Enrolments

Authorised3.4735%
Unauthorised1.0678%
Persistent (10%+)6.87831%
Severe (50%+)0%

Absence trend

3.24148%
18/19
2.19544%
20/21
5.20898%
21/22
4.23663%
22/23
4.46919%
23/24
4.5413%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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