Arundel Court Primary Academy and Nursery, Portsmouth

Primary
Academy converter
Mixed
Ages 311

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~334m)Possible (~477m)Unlikely (~620m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Kirsty Dixon
Pupils:668 / 710 capacity
LA:Portsmouth
Phone:02392824893
Address:Fyning Street, Portsmouth, PO1 1FG
Trust:UNIVERSITY OF CHICHESTER (MULTI) ACADEMY TRUST
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 May 2017

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 5 months ago

Report card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)

Achievement
Expected Standard
Behaviour
Expected Standard
Personal Development
Expected Standard
Leadership
Expected Standard
Early Years
Expected Standard
Inspected 14 April 2026View full report
URN:144194
UKPRN:10063680
Constituency:Portsmouth South
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Arundel Court is a happy, safe place where pupils feel confident and well-supported. The school excels at identifying children who need extra help - whether for behaviour, attendance, special needs, or emotional support - and putting effective strategies in place. Staff build strong relationships with pupils and families, which means behaviour is excellent and bullying is rare.

Key Strengths

  • Excellent behaviour and attendance support systems, including the 'soft start' for pupils who find coming to school difficult
  • Strong safeguarding culture where all staff take responsibility and pupils feel safe
  • Effective identification and support of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, who progress well from their starting points
  • Well-designed, ambitious curriculum with clear lesson structures across the school
  • Positive relationships between staff and pupils that create a calm and focused learning environment

Areas for Improvement

  • Inconsistencies in teaching mean pupils are not achieving as well as they should in national examinations, particularly in writing
  • Misconceptions in pupils' understanding are not always identified before moving on to new learning
  • Pupil premium strategy is not implemented consistently
  • Early years practice lacks consistency, with some missed learning opportunities due to variable adult interactions
  • Personal development curriculum is new and impact on pupils' understanding is not yet evident

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met, with leaders creating an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified and managed.

Extracurricular Activities

Sports, music, residential trips, visits to rivers, Anglo-Saxon forts, ancient farms, paddleboarding

Arundel Court Primary Academy and Nursery is a school where pupils feel safe and well-supported, with strong behaviour and attendance systems in place. However, teaching inconsistencies mean that pupils are not achieving as well as they should in national examinations.

At a Glance

60.4%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-1ppMaths-3ppWriting-2pp

Reading has remained stable at around 59%. Maths has remained stable at around 50%. Writing has remained stable at around 50%.

Class Sizes

27.3

Avg class size

29.0

Infant (KS1)

27.7

KS2

21

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Portsmouth & Southsea Rail Station
701m · 11 min walk
Fratton Rail Station (Entrance)
773m · 13 min walk

Bus Stops

Clifton Street (E-bound)
266m · 4 min walk
Canberra House (W-bound)
334m · 5 min walk
Cornmill Street (Stop V)
336m · 5 min walk
Carnegie Library (N-bound)
336m · 5 min walk
Clarendon Street (SW-bound)
351m · 6 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

94%

Near capacity

668 pupils

710 capacity

42 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Portsmouth

Low pressure
New homes approved:570
Projected new pupils:143

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Portsmouth

Admissions Demand - Portsmouth

Low demand0.84x oversubscription

Places available

2,365

Applications

1,984

Got 1st preference

91.9%

Got preferred school

98.3%

Primary admissions across Portsmouth (2025/26)

Inspection History(4)

14 April 2026Report card
Achievement
Behaviour
Personal Development
Leadership
Early Years
19 October 2021
5 May 2017

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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

7.12642%

Overall absence

24.69136%

Persistent absence

567

Enrolments

Authorised3.57443%
Unauthorised3.55199%
Persistent (10%+)24.69136%
Severe (50%+)1.41093%

Absence trend

4.20432%
18/19
4.14164%
20/21
6.93795%
21/22
6.65202%
22/23
7.18244%
23/24
7.12642%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

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