St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School, Brighton
St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Brighton. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2011. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 23rd-highest of the 36 schools in Brighton with published results, and 11,322nd of 14,452 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2011)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 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
St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils at St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 57% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 69% in Brighton and Hove and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 69% in reading and 45% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 14 families put St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 49 named it as one of their preferences, for 17 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School are St Mark's CofE Primary School (0.3 miles, Requires improvement, 50% reading, 42% maths); St Luke's Primary School (0.4 miles, Outstanding, 80% reading, 73% maths); City Academy Whitehawk (0.4 miles, Good, 70% reading, 65% maths); and Queen's Park Primary School (0.5 miles, Requires improvement, 57% reading, 47% maths).
St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
St Mark's CofE Primary SchoolSt Luke's Primary SchoolCity Academy WhitehawkQueen's Park Primary School
What parents say
40 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School (as of September 2025): 95% would recommend the school, 98% say their child is happy there and 80% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (98%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (80%).
Who goes there
39.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 47.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (38%), Asian (18%) and Mixed (16%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Brighton Rail Station, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Madehurst Close (adjacent), 100 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 903 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, St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School issued 4 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; Ofsted Parent View; 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from September 2011, 15 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils feel happy and safe at this inclusive and welcoming school. They work hard to meet the high expectations of teachers. Pupils demonstrate this through their positive behaviour and love for learning. As a result, the school is calm and purposeful. Pupils know the school's well-designed routines and follow them carefully. This starts in early years where children show high levels of concentration from the beginning of their school life.
Teachers are ambitious for pupils to achieve well. Pupils enjoy learning and contribute eagerly to lessons. Historically, pupils do not always achieve well in national tests. However, recent refinements to the curriculum mean that most pupils secure the knowledge and skills they require.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has planned an ambitious curriculum that begins in early years. It meets the needs of all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff have considered carefully what pupils should learn and when they should learn it. The school have rightly prioritised English and mathematics as a result of recent low test results. The school knows there is still work to be done. However, pupils receive a strong grounding in the foundational knowledge they need to access the rest of the curriculum.
The school identifies the needs of pupils, including pupils with SEND, precisely. Teachers use this information to adapt and amend activities to enable all pupils to learn well. The school has recognised that some pupils require additional help to meet their needs. As a result, the school has recently opened the NEST provision for a small group of pupils with communication needs. These pupils learn how to communicate their wishes and needs well.
From Ofsted's September 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2011 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
39.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
40 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 69% to 77% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 45% to 57% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 40% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.6
Avg class size
26.3
Infant (KS1)
28.5
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School.
- VIM ClubsAt the school · Not yet graded
- Pied Piper Brighton College620m away · Not yet graded
- ActiveMe 360 CIC @ City Academy Whitehawk670m away · Not yet graded
- VIM Clubs690m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St John the Baptist Catholic 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
- 49
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 12
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 49 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 12 serious and 37 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt.
6 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 St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School.
- Brighton and Hove publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St John the Baptist Catholic 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
98%
Near capacity
199 pupils
204 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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
22
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
16.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
193
Total Pupils
99
Boys
94
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
19.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,903
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,504
Per pupil
£1450k
Total funding
£123k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.7%
Overall absence
22.3%
Persistent absence
188
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 77% reached the expected standard in reading and 57% did so in maths.
What is St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2011, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School is oversubscribed, Brighton and Hove allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School?
St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School?
Classes at St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School average 27.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School?
St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School has around 193 pupils on roll. 39% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School?
7.7% of sessions were missed at St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 22.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Brighton and Hove's coordinated admissions process, naming St John the Baptist Catholic 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 St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: VIM Clubs (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 St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 49 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 12 serious and 37 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt. 6 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 St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School?
St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School is at Whitehawk Hill Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 0AH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)