Cliffdale Primary Academy, Portsmouth
Cliffdale Primary Academy is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Portsmouth, part of Solent Academies Trust. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2025, ended in a report card: 7 strong standard. Before that it was rated Outstanding at its last graded inspection, in November 2016.
- Ofsted report card
- 7 of 7 areas strong or better
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Cliffdale Primary Academy in detail
What Ofsted's report card says
Ofsted's report card from its 18 November 2025 inspection grades Cliffdale Primary Academy on 7 areas: 7 strong standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.
Achievement - Strong standard. "Pupils make significant progress from their starting points and achieve well across the curriculum."
Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Leaders actively champion attendance for all pupils."
Curriculum and teaching - Strong standard. "Leaders have designed an ambitious, engaging curriculum, which builds pupils' knowledge and learning in a connected and considered way."
Early years - Strong standard. "Clear expectations and routines ensure that children settle into school quickly."
Inclusion - Strong standard. "The school is highly inclusive."
Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leaders have high expectations and demonstrate a moral purpose to ensure that pupils achieve well."
Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Leaders have identified and prioritised the content of the personal development programme carefully."
Safeguarding standards were met.
Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain the effectiveness of their work in all areas. They should seek continued improvement, overcoming barriers and challenges, in order to drive a transformational impact for all pupils. This includes disadvantaged pupils, who are known (or previously known) to children's social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing".
Read the full report card on Ofsted's site (school website)
Source: Ofsted report card (Open Government Licence), quoted
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Cliffdale Primary Academy are The Harbour School (0.9 miles, Inadequate); Redwood Park Academy (1.1 miles, Outstanding); The Wymering School (1.9 miles); and Mary Rose Academy (2.2 miles, Outstanding).
The Harbour SchoolRedwood Park AcademyThe Wymering SchoolMary Rose Academy
The trust
Cliffdale Primary Academy is one of 6 schools run by Solent Academies Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
35 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Cliffdale Primary Academy (as of April 2026): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (86%).
Who goes there
55.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 22.9% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
Almost every pupil at Cliffdale Primary Academy has an education, health and care plan (218 of 218 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Hilsea Rail Station, about 950 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Green Lane (n-bound), 280 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
Cliffdale Primary Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 11 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since November 2025)
Safeguarding standards met
- AchievementStrong standard
- Attendance and behaviourStrong standard
- Curriculum and teachingStrong standard
- Early yearsStrong standard
- InclusionStrong standard
- Leadership and governanceStrong standard
- Personal development and wellbeingStrong standard
Safeguarding standards: met
Ofsted's report card, in its own words
What it's like to be a pupil at Cliffdale Primary Academy
Pupils love school, attend regularly and thrive in its inclusive and nurturing environment. They join their teachers and classmates enthusiastically at the start of the school day. The school's values underpin all aspects of school life. Staff establish warm, respectful and caring relationships with pupils. As a result, pupils feel valued, comfortable and safe. All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities and leaders work very effectively to reduce the considerable barriers to learning experienced by pupils. Consequently, pupils make notable progress through the curriculum from their different starting points. They achieve highly and are well prepared for their next steps. Pupils play a full part in school life, participating in a wide range of activities, such as soft play, sensory activities and the 'gym centre'. Pupils are understandably proud of the certificates and rewards they earn. The school's success in equipping pupils with strategies to communicate their ideas and preferences makes an important contribution to their safety, wellbeing and personal development. 'Skills for life' trips help pupils to learn important life skills, such as how to take a bus trip, visit the local shops or post a letter. Pupils treat each other with kindness. They make friends and enjoy playing together during breaktimes. Pupils are supported to understand their feelings and reflect on their behaviour. They learn strategies to manage their emotions when able to do so. For example, pupils are comfortable indicating to staff if they are anxious or upset. Staff are alert to any changes in behaviour or how a pupil's behaviour may affect others. Staff know pupils extremely well.
What Ofsted says the school should do next
- Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain the effectiveness of their work in all areas. They should seek continued improvement, overcoming barriers and challenges, in order to drive a transformational impact for all pupils. This includes disadvantaged pupils, who are known (or previously known) to children's social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.
From Ofsted's report card (inspection 18 November 2025). Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Cliffdale Primary Academy excels at supporting pupils with complex special educational needs to make significant progress. The school creates an inclusive, nurturing environment where every child feels valued and safe, with staff providing expert, personalised teaching tailored to individual needs. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school's impact on their child's education and life chances.
Key Strengths
- Pupils make impressive progress from their starting points, including against targets in their education, health and care plans
- The school is highly inclusive with excellent procedures for identifying individual needs and personalised support
- Staff are experts in teaching pupils with special educational needs and use sensitive, probing questions to support learning
- Strong, warm relationships between staff and pupils create a safe, secure and positive environment
- Leaders have high expectations and demonstrate excellent continuous improvement through research-led developments
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, concerns are actively identified and acted upon, and pupils are made safer and feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Bike riding, trying new foods, team games, school council, themed weeks in mathematics, sports, arts and friendship
Cliffdale Primary Academy is a special educational needs school where all pupils have significant learning needs and disabilities. The school has been rated as meeting the strong standard across all areas, with particular excellence in achievement, inclusion, and personal development.
At a Glance
55.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
35 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at April 2026 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Cliffdale Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Cliffdale Primary Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Portsmouth
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Cliffdale Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Cliffdale Primary Academy is in Portsmouth; for families living there:
- Portsmouth's school travel policy: Travel assistance policy for school age (5-16) children
- How to apply: apply for discretionary travel assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 55
- Fatal
- 2
- Serious
- 13
- Children hurt
- 9
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 55 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 13 serious and 40 slight.
9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 7 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
10 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Portsmouth is 57 (the median across 67 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
101%
Over capacity
218 pupils
216 places
2 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Portsmouth
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Portsmouth
Across Portsmouth council
Places available
2,178
Applications
2,140
Got 1st preference
83.4%
Got preferred school
96.1%
All secondary applications across Portsmouth council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
218
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
218
Total Pupils
158
Boys
60
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
41
Teachers
5.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,141
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.6%
Overall absence
27.5%
Persistent absence
189
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Linked Schools
Schools linked by geographic proximity
Cliffdale Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Cliffdale Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Cliffdale Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Cliffdale Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 0% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is Cliffdale Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Cliffdale Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2025, produced a report card, which grades each area but gives no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2016, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Cliffdale Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Cliffdale Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Portsmouth allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Cliffdale Primary Academy?
Cliffdale Primary Academy has around 218 pupils on roll. 56% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Cliffdale Primary Academy?
7.6% of sessions were missed at Cliffdale Primary Academy in 2024/25. 27.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Cliffdale Primary Academy?
Apply through Portsmouth's coordinated admissions process, naming Cliffdale Primary Academy on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
Does Cliffdale Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Cliffdale Primary Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Cliffdale Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 55 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 13 serious and 40 slight. 9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 7 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 10 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Portsmouth is 57 (the median across 67 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Cliffdale Primary Academy?
Cliffdale Primary Academy is at Battenburg Avenue, North End, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO2 0SN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)