St Swithun's Catholic Primary School, Southsea
St Swithun's Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Southsea. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2016. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 6th-highest of the 32 schools in Portsmouth with published results, and 7,842nd of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.2 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2016)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- 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
St Swithun's Catholic Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 76% of Year 6 pupils at St Swithun's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 76% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 70% and 68% in Portsmouth and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 89% in reading and 78% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at St Swithun's Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 55 families put St Swithun's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 98 named it as one of their preferences, for 45 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 11 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Swithun's Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Swithun's Catholic Primary School are Southsea Infant School (0.2 miles, Good); Craneswater Junior School (0.4 miles, Good, 78% reading, 66% maths); Bramble Infant School and Nursery (0.6 miles, Good); and Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery (0.6 miles, Requires improvement, 75% reading, 73% maths).
St Swithun's Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 2 of them.
Southsea Infant SchoolCraneswater Junior SchoolBramble Infant School and NurseryCottage Grove Primary School and Nursery
What parents say
80 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Swithun's Catholic Primary School (as of September 2025): 99% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 94% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (91%).
Who goes there
16.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 44.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (46%), Black (17%) and Mixed (9%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Southsea Hoverport, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Wimbledon Park (s-bound), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 756 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
St Swithun's Catholic Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Swithun's Catholic Primary School are Priory School (0.8 miles) and Ark Charter Academy (1 mile).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from February 2016, 10 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Swithun's creates a genuinely happy and caring environment where children thrive. Teachers have high expectations and pupils enthusiastically engage in their learning, building secure knowledge across the curriculum. The school goes beyond academics, offering abundant clubs, trips and enrichment activities that all pupils enjoy and take part in enthusiastically.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional pupil behaviour and respect for each other and staff throughout the school
- Strong teaching of reading with well-trained staff and early phonics support for all pupils
- High-quality support for pupils with special educational needs in a personalised and sensitive manner
- Rich enrichment activities including trips, theme days, guest speakers and a range of clubs
- Ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum that connects subjects and uses the local area to bring learning to life
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers do not consistently use information from checking pupils' understanding to adjust teaching and activities
- Some pupils are not learning as well as they could be because assessment findings are not always used to structure future learning
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with a well-established pastoral system that ensures pupils are safe and feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Theme days, curriculum-linked visits, guest speakers, range of clubs, sporting events, before- and after-school club
St Swithun's Catholic Primary School is a happy and welcoming school where pupils thrive and behave exceptionally well. The school has maintained good standards and continues to provide a broad, ambitious curriculum with rich enrichment opportunities.
At a Glance
16.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
80 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 89% to 76% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 76% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 80% to 87% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.4
Avg class size
27.0
Infant (KS1)
29.5
KS2
11
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Swithun's Catholic Primary School
Term dates
St Swithun's Catholic Primary School is a voluntary aided school, 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 St Swithun's Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Swithun's Catholic Primary School 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
- 73
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 14
- Children hurt
- 8
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 73 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 14 serious and 59 slight.
8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 3 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
Your chances of a place at St Swithun's Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at St Swithun's Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Swithun's Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Swithun's Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Swithun's Catholic Primary School.
- Portsmouth publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St Swithun's Catholic Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Swithun's Catholic Primary School for 2014 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
101%
Over capacity
316 pupils
315 places
1 pupil over capacity 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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
51
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
17.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
351
Total Pupils
187
Boys
164
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
16
Teachers
21.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,299
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,082
Per pupil
£1775k
Total funding
£73k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.5%
Overall absence
10.3%
Persistent absence
282
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
St Swithun's Catholic Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Swithun's Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Swithun's Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Swithun's Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 76% reached the expected standard in reading and 76% did so in maths.
What is St Swithun's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Swithun's Catholic Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2016, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Swithun's Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Swithun's Catholic Primary School is oversubscribed, Portsmouth allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Swithun's Catholic Primary School?
St Swithun's Catholic Primary School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at St Swithun's Catholic Primary School?
Classes at St Swithun's Catholic Primary School average 28.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Swithun's Catholic Primary School?
St Swithun's Catholic Primary School has around 351 pupils on roll. 17% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Swithun's Catholic Primary School?
4.5% of sessions were missed at St Swithun's Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 10.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Swithun's Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Portsmouth's coordinated admissions process, naming St Swithun's Catholic Primary School 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.
How many road collisions happen near St Swithun's Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 73 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 14 serious and 59 slight. 8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 3 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 St Swithun's Catholic Primary School?
St Swithun's Catholic Primary School is at Taswell Road, Southsea, Hampshire, PO5 2RG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)