St Margaret's CofE Primary School, Rottingdean, Brighton

Good
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Mixed
Church of England
Ages 511

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~1.1km)Possible (~1.6km)Unlikely (~2.1km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Rachel Kershaw
Pupils:172 / 210 capacity
LA:Brighton and Hove
Phone:01273303109
Address:Whiteway Lane, Rottingdean, Brighton, BN2 7HB
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Inspected 29 April 2025View full report
URN:114537
UKPRN:10075853
Diocese:Diocese of Chichester
Constituency:Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

St Margaret's creates an exciting, adventurous learning environment where children feel genuinely valued and supported. The school excels at teaching reading and phonics, and has built a warm, inclusive culture where pupils with additional needs thrive alongside their peers. Strong leadership and outdoor provision help develop confident, collaborative learners.

Key Strengths

  • Excellent outdoor learning environment that develops physical skills, teamwork and risk assessment
  • Strong phonics teaching and reading support, with pupils achieving positive outcomes
  • Supportive and inclusive culture with quick identification and effective support for pupils with SEND
  • Well-sequenced curriculum in most subjects with pupils applying learning across different areas
  • Strong leadership and professional development culture where staff are proud to work

Areas for Improvement

  • Some learning activities are not well matched to what pupils already know, limiting how well they build their knowledge
  • Tasks sometimes require knowledge pupils have not learned securely yet
  • Need to ensure activities align more closely with curriculum aims and build effectively on prior learning

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with strong relationships between staff and families contributing to pupils feeling safe and valued.

Extracurricular Activities

Gardening club, sensory garden time, outdoor days including beach trips with lifesaving skills, pupil council, eco-council, library visits, leadership roles, reception volunteer work

St Margaret's CofE Primary School in Rottingdean has maintained good standards following its previous inspection. The school provides a warm, nurturing environment with high academic ambitions and strong support for all pupils' wellbeing.

At a Glance

15.1%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

90 responses
Would recommend96%
Child is happy94%
Well taught93%
Good progress82%
Feels safe98%
Well behaved92%
Bullying dealt with21%
Kept informed97%
Handles concerns59%
Wider development90%

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

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-2ppMaths+6ppWriting+9pp

Reading has remained stable at around 73%. Maths has improved from 75% to 81%. Writing has improved from 79% to 88%.

Class Sizes

25.1

Avg class size

22.7

Infant (KS1)

27.0

KS2

7

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

The Pond (opp)
178m · 3 min walk
Rottingdean High Street (S-bound)
206m · 3 min walk
The Green (NW-bound)
229m · 4 min walk
White Horses (SW-bound)
350m · 6 min walk
Newlands Road (adj)
380m · 6 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

82%

Available places

172 pupils

210 capacity

38 spare places available

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(9)

29 April 2025
25 February 2020
22 June 2016
Leadership & ManagementGood

House Prices

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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

7.30107%

Overall absence

22.02381%

Persistent absence

168

Enrolments

Authorised5.72553%
Unauthorised1.57554%
Persistent (10%+)22.02381%
Severe (50%+)2.38095%

Absence trend

4.53304%
18/19
3.85765%
20/21
7.37459%
21/22
6.23654%
22/23
6.70707%
23/24
7.30107%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

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