Harbour Primary and Nursery School
Church Hill, Newhaven, BN9 9LX
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr Adam Sutton
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Lewes
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 480
- Pupils on roll
- 473
- URN
- 114441
- Local authority
- East Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01273514532
About this school
Harbour Primary and Nursery School is a community primary school in Newhaven. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 473 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Harbour Primary and Nursery School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 12 March 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 59 | 57 | 58 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 71% | 68% | 74% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 5% | 12% |
| Expected standard in reading | 80% | 84% | 81% |
| Expected standard in maths | 85% | 81% | 79% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 76% | 63% | 76% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 106.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 103.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.80 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Harbour Primary and Nursery School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | East Sussex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 71% | 54.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 68% | 56.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 74% | 57.6% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 481 |
| 2023/24 | 467 |
| 2024/25 | 460 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Harbour Primary and Nursery School compares
Harbour Primary and Nursery School ranked 22nd of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 76% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 74% | 7.2% | 40% | 473 | — |
| Breakwater Academy | 81% | 4.6% | 46% | 144 | 0.4 miles |
| High Cliff Academy | 76% | 7.2% | 35.8% | 154 | 0.4 miles |
| Denton Community Primary School and Nursery | 52% | 5% | 22.4% | 232 | 1.0 miles |
| Meridian Community Primary School and Nursery | 31% | 6.2% | 27.5% | 449 | 1.9 miles |
| Peacehaven Heights Academy | 79% | 6.6% | 37.5% | 339 | 2.1 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 40%
- English as an additional language
- 8%
- Overall absence
- 7.15%
- Persistent absence
- 16.44%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Breakwater Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Newhaven
-
High Cliff Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Newhaven
-
Denton Community Primary School and Nursery1.0 miles
Primary · Newhaven
-
Meridian Community Primary School and Nursery1.9 miles
Primary · Peacehaven
-
Peacehaven Heights Academy2.1 miles
Primary · Peacehaven
Other schools in Newhaven
- Breakwater Academy Primary
- Denton Community Primary School and Nursery Primary
- High Cliff Academy Primary
- Seahaven Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Harbour Primary and Nursery School teach?
- Harbour Primary and Nursery School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Newhaven.
- Who is the headteacher of Harbour Primary and Nursery School?
- The headteacher of Harbour Primary and Nursery School is Mr Adam Sutton, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Harbour Primary and Nursery School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Harbour Primary and Nursery School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Harbour Primary and Nursery School?
- Harbour Primary and Nursery School has 473 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Harbour Primary and Nursery School full?
- Harbour Primary and Nursery School has capacity for 480 pupils and 473 on roll (99%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Harbour Primary and Nursery School a faith school?
- No. Harbour Primary and Nursery School has no designated religious character.
- Does Harbour Primary and Nursery School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Harbour Primary and Nursery School as having nursery classes.
- How have Harbour Primary and Nursery School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 71% in 2022/23 and 74% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Harbour Primary and Nursery School compare with other schools in East Sussex?
- Harbour Primary and Nursery School ranked 22nd of 131 primary schools in East Sussex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 76% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Harbour Primary and Nursery School's absence rate?
- Harbour Primary and Nursery School's overall absence rate is 7.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Harbour Primary and Nursery School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Harbour Primary and Nursery School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.