The Flying Bull Academy, Portsmouth

Ofsted's report card from its 9 June 2026 inspection grades The Flying Bull Academy on 7 areas: 7 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Needs attention. "In recent years, pupils have not achieved as well as they should by the time they leave the school."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Despite the school's efforts, there are too many pupils who do not attend school enough."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "While leaders are taking effective action to strengthen the curriculum and teaching, these changes are in their infancy and are not embedded."

Early years - Needs attention. "While leaders recognise the importance of high-quality education in the early years, there is more to do to improve the quality of teaching and adult interactions."

Inclusion - Needs attention. "Leaders recognise that support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), disadvantage or vulnerability does not always meet their specific needs well enough."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Since the last inspection, the trust has identified that leaders' actions have not focused sufficiently well on ensuring that all pupils gain the essential knowledge and skills across the curriculum."

Personal development and wellbeing - Needs attention. "Leaders have recently made significant changes to the personal development and wellbeing programme."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Governors and trustees must ensure that the clear systems that have now been established provide effective support and challenge to school leaders, so that the school continues to improve"; "Leaders should ensure that adaptations for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are well-planned and consistently implemented, so that teaching and activities match pupils' needs, enabling pupils to build securely on what they know and can do"; "Leaders should ensure that high quality teaching is embedded across all year groups and subjects"; "Leaders should ensure that they embed the changes to how they manage attendance, so that attendance continues to improve"; "Leaders need to continue to develop the range of purposeful opportunities pupils can access to broaden pupils' experiences and enable them to develop their talents and interests".

In its own words: "We are a school in the Heart of Portsmouth that caters for children aged 2 to 11, with a 28 place provision for children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties. We are proud of our very caring ethos and we encourage and support our children to achieve their full potential."

From the headteacher's welcome: "We welcome children from the age of two in our nursery, providing a strong foundation for their educational journey. As they progress through the school, they learn in modern classrooms with excellent access to outdoor and shared learning spaces. We also have a 28-place Alternative Provision that supports children from across Portsmouth."

In 2025, 45% of Year 6 pupils at The Flying Bull Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 38% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 70% and 68% in Portsmouth and 77% and 75% across England.

Results fell from 64% in reading and 57% in maths in 2024.

For September 2026 entry, 32 families put The Flying Bull Academy as their first choice and 69 named it as one of their preferences, for 34 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to The Flying Bull Academy are New Horizons Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 65% reading, 63% maths); Ark Dickens Primary Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 72% reading, 73% maths); Manor Infant and Nursery School (0.4 miles, Good); and Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 73% reading, 66% maths).

Each of them had higher 2025 results than The Flying Bull Academy.

The Flying Bull Academy is one of 17 schools run by University of Chichester (multi) Academy Trust, an academy trust.

52% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 29.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (58%), Black (13%) and Asian (12%).

In 2026, 60 pupils (14.5%) received SEN support and 28 (6.7%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.

The Flying Bull Academy has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs: 32 places, 27 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Portsmouth & Southsea Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.

11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Estella Road (stand b), 190 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Flying Bull Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 801 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.

In 2024/25, The Flying Bull Academy issued 39 suspensions, 9.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to The Flying Bull Academy are The Portsmouth Academy (0.6 miles), St Edmund's Catholic School (0.8 miles) and Mayfield School (1 mile).