Ark Ayrton Primary Academy, Portsmouth

From the headteacher's welcome: "We are a two form entry primary school and nursery, situated in the heart of Portsmouth, close to the sea. We are named after Hertha Ayrton, a British female engineer, mathematician, physicist and inventor, born in Portsea. The arc lamp, providing street lighting, was among her many inventions and accomplishments. Our children are wonderful."

The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.

In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils at Ark Ayrton Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 81% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 70% and 68% in Portsmouth and 77% and 75% across England.

Results fell from 83% in reading and 87% in maths in 2024.

For September 2026 entry, 53 families put Ark Ayrton Primary Academy as their first choice and 133 named it as one of their preferences, for 58 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Ark Ayrton Primary Academy are St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 93% reading, 87% maths); Arundel Court Primary Academy and Nursery (0.4 miles, Good, 59% reading, 50% maths); Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery (0.4 miles, Requires improvement, 75% reading, 73% maths); and Penbridge Infant School (0.4 miles, Good).

Ark Ayrton Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.

Ark Ayrton Primary Academy is one of 48 schools run by ARK Schools, an academy trust.

Across the trust's primary schools, 78% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.

55.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 41% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (39%), Black (18%) and Asian (17%).

In 2026, 45 pupils (9.1%) received SEN support and 42 (8.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.

The nearest railway station is Fratton Rail Station, about 610 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Somers Road (e-bound), 80 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Ark Ayrton Primary Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 1364 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Portsmouth (499), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Ark Ayrton Primary Academy issued 6 suspensions, 1.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The secondary schools closest to Ark Ayrton Primary Academy are Ark Charter Academy (0.2 miles), St Edmund's Catholic School (0.2 miles), Priory School (0.3 miles) and The Portsmouth Academy (0.7 miles).