Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery, Southsea
Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Southsea, part of Gateway Multi Academy Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 10th-highest of the 32 schools in Portsmouth with published results, and 8,749th of 14,452 across England. It was 96% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Portsmouth (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery in detail
Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery in its own words
In its own words: "At Cottage Grove, we very much believe in being part of our local community. We have been involved in a number of projects, such as the paintings around Horatio and Leamington House. We are also currently involved in the project that aims to reinvigorate the alleyway along Belmont Path."
From the headteacher's welcome: "A very warm welcome to you and your family from everyone here at Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery Unit! We are delighted that you have chosen our school to be a part of your child's educational journey."
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils at Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery 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 (76% in reading, 75% in maths).
Getting a place at Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery
For September 2026 entry, 53 families put Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery as their first choice and 93 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.
Admissions history and your chances at Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery are Ark Ayrton Primary Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 78% reading, 81% maths); Southsea Infant School (0.5 miles, Good); St Jude's CofE Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 70% reading, 62% maths); and Bramble Infant School and Nursery (0.6 miles, Good).
Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 2 schools.
Ark Ayrton Primary AcademySouthsea Infant SchoolSt Jude's CofE Primary SchoolBramble Infant School and Nursery
The trust
Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery is one of 7 schools run by Gateway Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
44.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 56.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (25%), Asian (25%) and Black (23%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Portsmouth & Southsea Rail Station, about 870 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Elm Grove (w-bound), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 1301 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.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery issued 24 suspensions, 5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery are Ark Charter Academy (0.4 miles), St Edmund's Catholic School (0.5 miles) and Priory School (0.5 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
The school is at the heart of the community. Pupils, staff, parents and carers comment on this. Diversity is celebrated and nurtured throughout the school. Everyone is welcome here and valued for what they offer to the school's diverse community. Many pupils join the school throughout the academic year, and several speak English as an additional language. Across the school, pupils speak over 50 different languages.
There is a highly inclusive ethos and the school is determined to raise aspirations for pupils. This ambition is being achieved through the exceptionally strong pastoral support and bespoke personal development programme that the school offers. There is still some work to be done, however, to embed curriculum changes so that all pupils achieve well.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Relatively recent changes within the trust have resulted in effective support for the school. This oversight has helped the school to make positive changes to the curriculum. The school knows that not all pupils are prepared for the next stage of their education and they are tackling this. However, it is too soon to see the full impact of these changes on pupils' outcomes.
The school is highly ambitious for pupils and has designed a curriculum that matches this ambition. Subjects are well sequenced and identify what pupils need to remember. Due to the number of pupils who join at different points during the year, the school has focused on introducing retrieval tasks in every lesson. These are helping pupils to recall their prior learning. However, in some lessons, teachers do not choose the best way of introducing new ideas. As a result, pupils sometimes have misconceptions and staff do not always notice these.
From Ofsted's June 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its June 2024 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management, Early years.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
44.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 75% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 73% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 53% to 65% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.9
Avg class size
26.3
Infant (KS1)
25.7
KS2
16
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery
Before and after school care
Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery 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
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery.
- CSS Activities540m away · Not yet graded
- I Love to Learn Portsmouth820m away · Not yet graded
- Super Camps- Portsmouth840m away · Not yet graded
- CM Sports Holiday Club1000m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Portsmouth's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery 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
- 71
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 18
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 71 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 18 serious and 53 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
11 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
Your chances of a place at Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery
Will you get a place at Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery.
- Portsmouth publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery for 2022 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Portsmouth got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
96%
Near capacity
431 pupils
450 places
19 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Southsea
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Southsea
Across Portsmouth council
Places available
2,230
Applications
1,887
Got 1st preference
93.0%
Got preferred school
98.7%
All primary applications across Portsmouth council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
78
SEN Support
26
EHC Plans
22.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
462
Total Pupils
234
Boys
228
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
24
Teachers
19.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,118
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,150
Per pupil
£3105k
Total funding
£277k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.5%
Overall absence
14.2%
Persistent absence
424
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery
Questions parents ask about Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery
What are SATs results like at Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery?
Of the pupils at Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 75% reached the expected standard in reading and 73% did so in maths.
What is Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?
Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024.
What is the catchment area for Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery?
No fixed boundary. When Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery is oversubscribed, Portsmouth allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery?
Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery?
Classes at Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery average 25.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery?
Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery has around 462 pupils on roll. 45% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery?
5.5% of sessions were missed at Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery in 2024/25. 14.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery?
Apply through Portsmouth's coordinated admissions process, naming Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery 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. Ofsted's childcare register lists 4 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery: CSS Activities (540m away, registered, not yet graded), I Love to Learn Portsmouth (820m away, registered, not yet graded) and Super Camps- Portsmouth (840m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 71 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 18 serious and 53 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 11 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 Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery?
Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery is at Chivers Close, Southsea, Hampshire, PO5 1HG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)