Southwater Infant Academy
Worthing Road, Southwater, Horsham, RH13 9JH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 5 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE SOUTHWATER INFANT ACADEMY
- Headteacher
- Mrs Christie Cavallo
- Constituency
- Horsham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 270
- Pupils on roll
- 230
- URN
- 136866
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01403733254
About this school
Southwater Infant Academy is a primary academy in Horsham. It teaches children aged 5 to 7 and has 230 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Trends over time
How Southwater Infant Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 301 |
| 2023/24 | 281 |
| 2024/25 | 268 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Southwater Infant Academy compares
Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 3.8% | 5.2% | 230 | — |
| Southwater Junior Academy | 69% | 3.6% | 9% | 445 | 0.1 miles |
| Castlewood Primary School | 72% | 3.3% | 3.4% | 205 | 0.4 miles |
| Barns Green Primary School | 89% | 6.5% | 10.8% | 128 | 1.9 miles |
| St Andrew's CofE Primary School | 69% | 4.1% | 5.5% | 171 | 2.2 miles |
| St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School | 67% | 3.8% | 7.1% | 200 | 2.4 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)
- 5.22%
- English as an additional language
- 10.4%
- Overall absence
- 3.82%
- Persistent absence
- 7.07%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Southwater Junior Academy0.1 miles
Primary · Horsham
-
Castlewood Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Horsham
-
Barns Green Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Horsham
-
St Andrew's CofE Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Horsham
-
St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Horsham
Other schools in Horsham
- All Saints CofE Primary School, Horsham Primary
- Arunside School, Horsham Primary
- Barns Green Primary School Primary
- Castlewood Primary School Primary
- Colgate Primary School Primary
- Greenway Junior School Primary
- Heron Way Primary School Primary
- Holbrook Primary School Primary
- Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Lower Beeding Primary
- Jolesfield CofE Primary School Primary
- Kilnwood Vale Primary School Primary
- Kingslea Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Southwater Infant Academy teach?
- Southwater Infant Academy teaches children aged 5 to 7. It is a primary school in Horsham.
- Who is the headteacher of Southwater Infant Academy?
- The headteacher of Southwater Infant Academy is Mrs Christie Cavallo, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Southwater Infant Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Southwater Infant Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Southwater Infant Academy?
- Southwater Infant Academy has 230 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 7.
- Is Southwater Infant Academy full?
- Southwater Infant Academy has capacity for 270 pupils and 230 on roll (85%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Southwater Infant Academy a faith school?
- No. Southwater Infant Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Southwater Infant Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Southwater Infant Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Southwater Infant Academy?
- Southwater Infant Academy is part of THE SOUTHWATER INFANT ACADEMY. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is Southwater Infant Academy's absence rate?
- Southwater Infant Academy's overall absence rate is 3.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Southwater Infant Academy publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Southwater Infant Academy. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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 1 July 2026.