Schools in Portsmouth
45 schools with published admissions figures
The newest figures for each school. "1st prefs per place" is how many families put the school first, for each place it gave out. It measures demand, not whether a child would get a place. A dash means the figure is not available.
How the 2026 round went in Portsmouth
Primary
-
Offered their first choice
93.0%
Of families applying for a primary place for September 2026. Against 85.3% in 2016.
-
Offered one of their three
98.6%
Families offered any of the schools they named.
-
Families who applied
1,887
Applications received for a primary place. A family naming three schools counts once.
For September 2026, 93.0% of families applying for a primary place here were offered their first choice, and 98.6% were offered one of the three schools they named.
That is 7.7 points higher than in 2016, when it was 85.3%.
The council's primary schools between them had 2,230 places for 1,887 applications. That is a total for the whole council and says nothing about any one school in it.
Secondary
-
Offered their first choice
83.4%
Of families applying for a secondary place for September 2026. Against 87.4% in 2016.
-
Offered one of their three
95.0%
Families offered any of the schools they named.
-
Families who applied
2,140
Applications received for a secondary place. A family naming three schools counts once.
For September 2026, 83.4% of families applying for a secondary place here were offered their first choice, and 95.0% were offered one of the three schools they named.
That is 4.0 points lower than in 2016, when it was 87.4%.
The council's secondary schools between them had 2,178 places for 2,140 applications. That is a total for the whole council and says nothing about any one school in it.
Source: Department for Education, applications and offers. The same round across England.
If a family is refused a place
In 2026, families in Portsmouth lodged 255 appeals about a school place.
196 of them were heard by a panel and 21 succeeded, which is about 11 in every 100 heard.
The other 59 did not reach a panel. Most appeals that do not are withdrawn because a place comes up first.
This is a record of decisions already made. A panel hears one case at a time and decides it on what that family sets out, so these figures do not indicate what would happen in any particular appeal.
Source: Department for Education, admission appeals in England, reporting year 2026. Counts every school in this council area. The share that succeeded is taken over appeals heard by a panel, not over appeals lodged.
Schools here running specialist SEN provision
8 of this council's published schools run a SEN unit or a resourced provision: teaching for children with special educational needs, on the same site as the rest of the school.
| School | Phase | What it runs |
|---|---|---|
| Arundel Court Primary Academy and Nursery
Portsmouth |
primary | SEN unit |
| Devonshire Infant School
Southsea |
primary | SEN unit |
| Milton Park Primary School
Portsmouth |
primary | SEN unit |
| Penbridge Infant School & Nursery
Portsmouth |
primary | SEN unit |
| Southsea Infant School
Southsea |
primary | SEN unit |
| The Flying Bull Academy
Portsmouth |
primary | Resourced provision |
| The Portsmouth Academy
Portsmouth |
secondary | SEN unit |
| Trafalgar School
Portsmouth |
secondary | Resourced provision |
This says a provision exists and nothing more. Neither how many children it takes nor which kinds of need it is set up for is published for a mainstream school, and it is not a statement about how well any school supports children with SEN. Ask the school or the council. Source: Department for Education, special educational needs in England.
All Through
| School | 1st prefs per place | Demand since | Latest Ofsted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mayfield School
Portsmouth |
1.04 | - | Inadequate Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
Primary
| School | 1st prefs per place | Demand since | Latest Ofsted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ark Ayrton Primary Academy
Portsmouth |
0.91 | - | School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next Ofsted ungraded inspection |
| Ark Dickens Primary Academy
Portsmouth |
0.92 | - | Standards maintained Ofsted ungraded inspection |
| Arundel Court Primary Academy and Nursery
Portsmouth |
0.93 | - | Needs attention Ofsted report card (current framework) |
| Beacon View Primary Academy
Portsmouth |
0.95 | - | Not judged Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| Bramble Infant School and Nursery
Southsea |
0.87 | - | Standards maintained Ofsted ungraded inspection |
| Copnor Primary School
Portsmouth |
0.99 | - | Not judged Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School
Portsmouth |
0.98 | - | Good Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery
Southsea |
0.91 | - | Requires improvement Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| Court Lane Infant Academy
Portsmouth |
0.89 | - | School remains Good Ofsted ungraded inspection |
| Cumberland Infant School
Southsea |
1.15 | - | Good Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| Devonshire Infant School
Southsea |
0.94 | - | Expected standard Ofsted report card (current framework) |
| Gatcombe Park Primary School
Portsmouth |
1.03 | - | Good Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| Highbury Primary School
Portsmouth |
1.13 | - | Expected standard Ofsted report card (current framework) |
| King's Academy College Park (Infant)
Portsmouth |
0.92 | - | Good Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| King's Academy Northern Parade (Infant)
Portsmouth |
0.95 | - | Not judged Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| Manor Infant and Nursery School
Portsmouth |
0.93 | - | Good Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| Medina Primary School
Portsmouth |
0.84 | - | Not judged Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| Meon Infant School
Southsea |
0.90 | - | Not judged Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| Milton Park Primary School
Portsmouth |
0.91 | - | Good Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| Moorings Way Infant School
Southsea |
1.03 | - | Expected standard Ofsted report card (current framework) |
| New Horizons Primary School
Portsmouth |
1.03 | - | Good Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| Penbridge Infant School & Nursery
Portsmouth |
0.87 | - | School remains Good Ofsted ungraded inspection |
| Portsdown Primary School
Portsmouth |
0.93 | - | Good Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| Solent Infant School
Portsmouth |
1.13 | - | Improved significantly Ofsted ungraded inspection |
| Southsea Infant School
Southsea |
0.76 | - | Expected standard Ofsted report card (current framework) |
| St George's Beneficial Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School
Portsmouth |
0.93 | - | Not judged Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School
Portsmouth |
1.57 | - | Good Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| St Jude's CofE Primary School
Portsmouth |
0.97 | - | School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next Ofsted ungraded inspection |
| St Paul's Catholic Primary School
Portsmouth |
1.00 | - | School remains Good Ofsted ungraded inspection |
| St Swithun's Catholic Primary School
Southsea |
1.22 | - | Standards maintained Ofsted ungraded inspection |
| Stamshaw Infant Academy
Portsmouth |
0.97 | - | School remains Good Ofsted ungraded inspection |
| The Flying Bull Academy
Portsmouth |
0.94 | - | Needs attention Ofsted report card (current framework) |
| The Victory Primary School
Portsmouth |
1.07 | - | Not judged Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| Westover Primary School
Portsmouth |
1.23 | - | Good Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| Wimborne Primary School
Portsmouth |
1.03 | - | Good Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
Secondary
| School | 1st prefs per place | Demand since | Latest Ofsted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Admiral Lord Nelson School
Portsmouth |
1.16 | - | Expected standard Ofsted report card (current framework) |
| Ark Charter Academy
Southsea |
0.74 | - | Not judged Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| Castle View Academy
Portsmouth |
0.92 | - | Expected standard Ofsted report card (current framework) |
| Miltoncross Academy
Portsmouth |
0.62 | - | Not judged Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| Priory School
Southsea |
1.21 | - | Good Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| Springfield School
Portsmouth |
0.92 | - | Not judged Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
| St Edmund's Catholic School
Portsmouth |
1.75 | - | School remains Outstanding Ofsted ungraded inspection |
| The Portsmouth Academy
Portsmouth |
0.55 | - | School remains Good Ofsted ungraded inspection |
| Trafalgar School
Portsmouth |
0.86 | - | Good Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework) |
Elsewhere
- Most sought-after schools in Portsmouth by first preferences per place
- Schools in PO1 (9)
- Schools in PO2 (9)
- Schools in PO3 (4)
- Schools in PO4 (8)
- Schools in PO5 (5)
- Schools in PO6 (10)
- What data we hold