Ark Dickens Primary Academy, Portsmouth

From the headteacher's welcome: "On behalf of our whole school community, I am delighted to welcome you to Ark Dickens Primary Academy. I am privileged to be Head of School at Ark Dickens Primary Academy where our motto is ‘Be your best’ and this reflects our ethos of ensuring every child is provided with every opportunity to reach their potential."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, chess, Lego and cooking.

Coming up: an open day on Tuesday 1 December 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils at Ark Dickens Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 73% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 70% and 68% in Portsmouth and 77% and 75% across England.

Results were similar in 2024 (67% in reading, 77% in maths).

For September 2026 entry, 34 families put Ark Dickens Primary Academy as their first choice and 94 named it as one of their preferences, for 37 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 Dickens Primary Academy are Arundel Court Primary Academy and Nursery (0.3 miles, Good, 59% reading, 50% maths); Manor Infant and Nursery School (0.4 miles, Good); The Flying Bull Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 45% reading, 38% maths); and St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 93% reading, 87% maths).

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

Ark Dickens 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.

11 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Ark Dickens Primary Academy (as of September 2025): 73% would recommend the school, 82% say their child is happy there and 20% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (91%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (20%).

50.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 32.3% 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%), Black (19%) and Asian (16%).

The nearest railway station is Portsmouth & Southsea Rail Station, about 910 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).

9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Clarendon Street (ne-bound), 140 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Ark Dickens 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 1081 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 Portsmouth (499), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Ark Dickens Primary Academy issued 2 suspensions, 0.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Ark Dickens Primary Academy are The Portsmouth Academy (0.4 miles), St Edmund's Catholic School (0.5 miles), Ark Charter Academy (0.7 miles) and Priory School (0.8 miles).