Trafalgar School, Portsmouth
Trafalgar School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Portsmouth, part of The Salterns Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2023. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 5th-highest of the 9 schools in Portsmouth with published results, and 2,614th of 3,298 across England. It was 93% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Portsmouth (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Trafalgar School in detail
Trafalgar School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, rugby, dance, drama, choir, Lego, eco club, film and book club.
Coming up: an open day on Sunday 9 May 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Portsmouth
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Trafalgar School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 40.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 41.2 in Portsmouth and 47 across England.
27% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 36% in Portsmouth and 47% in England.
That is down from 43.5 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.19: pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 37.4, against 42 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 4.6 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 28 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Statistics, Combined Science and Art and Design.
Getting a place at Trafalgar School
For September 2026 entry, 192 families put Trafalgar School as their first choice and 650 named it as one of their preferences, for 224 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 3 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Trafalgar School are UTC Portsmouth (under 0.1 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 48.8); Mayfield School (0.6 miles, Attainment 8 31.1); Admiral Lord Nelson School (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.5); and Springfield School (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.4).
Trafalgar School's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
UTC PortsmouthMayfield SchoolAdmiral Lord Nelson SchoolSpringfield School
The trust
Trafalgar School is one of 3 schools run by The Salterns Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 179 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 79% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 78% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.
Who goes there
41.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 240 pupils (23.3%) received SEN support and 57 (5.5%) 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 a moderate learning difficulty.
Trafalgar School has a resourced provision for autism: 15 places, 15 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Hilsea Rail Station, about 860 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Trafalgar School (n-bound), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 275 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Portsmouth (499).
Suspensions and exclusions
Trafalgar School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Trafalgar School are Gatcombe Park Primary School (0.2 miles), King's Academy Northern Parade (Junior) (0.3 miles), King's Academy Northern Parade (Infant) (0.3 miles) and Highbury Primary School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Gatcombe Park Primary SchoolKing's Academy Northern Parade (Junior)King's Academy Northern Parade (Infant)Highbury Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE destination measures; 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
Portsmouth published that the last place for 2025 entry went to a family 2.019 miles away (straight line). The cut-off moves every year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Personal development.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Leadership & management.
About
Trafalgar School is a coeducational secondary school located in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. The school is on London Road in the Portsmouth northern sub district of Hilsea.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
41.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -0.40 to -0.19 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 38.7 to 40.1 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 27% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 40.1 | 27% |
| Disadvantaged(78) | - | 37.4 | 20.5% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(118) | - | 42.0 | 31.4% |
| Boys(105) | - | 39.4 | 27.6% |
| Girls(91) | - | 41.0 | 26.4% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(21) | - | 48.4 | 33.3% |
| Non mobile(195) | - | 40.3 | 27.2% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 8 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 179 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
0
Suspensions
0.00%
Suspension rate
0 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,041 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Latest from Trafalgar School
Year 11 Intervention timetable - Autumn 2026
25 Sep 2026
Cambridge University Trip - April 2026
24 Apr 2026
Year 11 Booster timetable - Easter 2026
27 Mar 2026
Year 11 Mock Exam timetable - March 2026
4 Feb 2026
Salterns Academy Trust - AGM - 14 January 2026
10 Dec 2025
Results Day 2025
22 Aug 2025
From Trafalgar School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Trafalgar School
Term dates
Trafalgar School 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
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Trafalgar School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Trafalgar 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
- 75
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 10
- Children hurt
- 16
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 75 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 65 slight.
16 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot, 6 on a bicycle and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise.
16 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 Trafalgar School
Will you get a place at Trafalgar School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Trafalgar School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Trafalgar School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Trafalgar School.
- Last distance offered for 2025 entry, from Portsmouth's own figures, and how your distance compares each year.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Trafalgar School for 2015 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
93%
Near capacity
1,028 pupils
1,110 places
82 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
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.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
240
SEN Support
57
EHC Plans
28.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Trafalgar School has a resourced provision for autism: 15 places, 15 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,031
Total Pupils
536
Boys
495
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
74
Teachers
13.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,321
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,622
Per pupil
£8607k
Total funding
£424k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.2%
Overall absence
21.0%
Persistent absence
1,052
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Trafalgar School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Trafalgar School
What are GCSE results like at Trafalgar School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Trafalgar School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 40.1. 27% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Trafalgar School's Ofsted rating?
Trafalgar School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2023.
How close to Trafalgar School do you need to live?
Portsmouth published for September 2025 entry that the last place offered at Trafalgar School on distance went to a family 2.019 miles away. This is the authority's own figure for one year, not a fixed boundary - the cut-off moves with the number of applications, so treat it as a guide rather than a guarantee.
Is it hard to get a place at Trafalgar School?
Trafalgar School was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 1110 places.
How big are the classes at Trafalgar School?
Classes at Trafalgar School average 22.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Trafalgar School?
Trafalgar School has around 1031 pupils on roll. 42% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Trafalgar School have specialist SEN provision?
Trafalgar School has a resourced provision for autism: 15 places, 15 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Trafalgar School?
8.2% of sessions were missed at Trafalgar School in 2024/25. 21% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Trafalgar School?
Apply through Portsmouth's coordinated admissions process, naming Trafalgar School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Trafalgar School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 75 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 65 slight. 16 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot, 6 on a bicycle and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise. 16 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 Trafalgar School?
Trafalgar School is at London Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO2 9RJ.
Sources: Portsmouth admissions booklet; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)