Highbury Primary School, Portsmouth

Good
Primary
Academy converter
Mixed
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~443m)Possible (~633m)Unlikely (~823m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Joanne Watson
Pupils:391 / 420 capacity
LA:Portsmouth
Phone:02392375404
Address:Dovercourt Road, Cosham, Portsmouth, PO6 2RZ
Trust:UNIVERSITY OF CHICHESTER (MULTI) ACADEMY TRUST
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 July 2017

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 10 months ago
Good

Overall

Requires Improvement

Quality of Education

Requires Improvement

Behaviour & Attitudes

Requires Improvement

Personal Development

Requires Improvement

Leadership & Management

Requires Improvement

Early Years

Inspected 18 November 2025View full report
URN:144191
UKPRN:10063923
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Portsmouth North
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

This school excels at making sure every child gets the support they need to succeed, especially those facing challenges. Pupils are happy, well-behaved, and eager to learn, with excellent attendance. The school creates a nurturing community where children feel safe, develop strong relationships, and have access to a wide range of enriching activities.

Key Strengths

  • Strong inclusion approach with clear identification of pupils' needs and effective support from staff
  • Pupils behave well, attend school regularly, and feel safe in a positive school community
  • Early reading is taught effectively and pupils generally achieve well across the curriculum
  • Leaders prioritise personal development and wellbeing with a carefully designed curriculum
  • Staff feel supported and valued with access to professional development based on up-to-date research

Areas for Improvement

  • Some pupils need to improve their handwriting and letter/number formation
  • Some pupils do not know basic multiplication facts well enough by the end of Year 4
  • Pupils' understanding of some curriculum areas could be deeper, particularly in history topics
  • Some learning tasks do not fully enable pupils to demonstrate what they know and can do

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and pupils feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Netball club, singing club, maths club, pupil parliament, pupil leadership roles (house captains, head pupils, reading ambassadors, wellbeing ambassadors), enterprise event in Year 6

Highbury Primary School is a well-led primary school where pupils achieve well and feel safe. Leaders are determined that all pupils, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, have every opportunity to thrive.

At a Glance

28.1%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-2ppMaths+5ppWriting+4pp

Reading has remained stable at around 75%. Maths has improved from 68% to 73%. Writing has improved from 73% to 77%.

Class Sizes

29.3

Avg class size

27.6

Infant (KS1)

30.6

KS2

12

Total classes

5 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Social & online

Getting There

Train Stations

Cosham Rail Station
648m · 11 min walk

Bus Stops

Dovercourt Road (E-bound)
198m · 3 min walk
Wembley Grove (NW-bound)
302m · 5 min walk
Pitreavie Road (W-bound)
306m · 5 min walk
Chatsworth Avenue (NW-bound)
419m · 7 min walk
Hawthorn Crescent (SE-bound)
465m · 8 min walk
Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

93%

Near capacity

391 pupils

420 capacity

29 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)

18 November 2025
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesRequires Improvement
Personal DevelopmentRequires Improvement
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsRequires Improvement
1 December 2021
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementGood
Early YearsGood
6 July 2017

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

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.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

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.

Sign up free to see teacher and staff data

School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

Sign up free to see how this school is funded

Pupil Absence
2024/25

4.79105%

Overall absence

7.82123%

Persistent absence

358

Enrolments

Authorised3.25005%
Unauthorised1.541%
Persistent (10%+)7.82123%
Severe (50%+)0.83799%

Absence trend

4.53542%
18/19
2.51671%
20/21
5.96622%
21/22
4.59524%
22/23
4.46545%
23/24
4.79105%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Secondary Schools Nearby

Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.