Living in Portsmouth

Welcome to our city

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Portsmouth Schools

There are 63 schools in Portsmouth. Of these 48 are primary schools and 10 are secondary schools. There is one all-through school and 4 schools for pupils with special education needs.

Here's what Ofsted says…

90% of schools in Portsmouth are good or better

(Source: Ofsted Inspection reports - published Jan-Mar 2019)

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Pupils’ behaviour is good. They are respectful and polite towards both staff and their peers. As a result, the school is calm and orderly

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The curriculum is diverse and interesting. It makes a strong contribution to pupils’ learning and personal development.

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Your unflinching commitment to the pupils and the wider community has resulted in your school having inclusivity at the very heart of all it does. Pupils and staff demonstrate the school values of kindness, respect, determination, teamwork and excellence in their day-to-day work.

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Professional development opportunities, wisely used, have helped develop teachers well. Pupils enjoy their learning in lessons and across the curriculum.

School Admissions

If you are considering moving to Portsmouth to teach or to train to teach, you may be interested in finding out about school admissions. Portsmouth City Council is committed to working in close co-operation with school staff, governors and parents to make sure that all children in Portsmouth have an exciting, rewarding and successful experience in school.

Many Portsmouth schools give priority in the admissions criteria to the children of teachers and school staff who are employed at the school (or school on an adjacent site), including where the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a skill shortage.

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Local Offer for SEND pupils

For families of children with special education needs, you may be interested in the Local Offer website setting out in one place information about provision that is available across education, health and social care for children and young people who have Special Educational Needs or are disabled, including those who do not have Education, Health and Care plans.

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Portsmouth Music Hub

An example of the thriving education picture in the city is the Portsmouth Music Hub, which won the Music Education Council's Major Award for a second consecutive year in 2017.

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Capital investment in Schools

Financial investment in school buildings is a priority for the Council. There are clear plans of the future demand for school places and plans to develop more accommodation in the city. Investment in recent years has especially been in secondary school provision due to rising numbers of secondary pupils. The focus is now moving to accommodation for pupils with special education needs. Feasibility studies are also being undertaken to explore primary school expansions to accommodate children from new housing developments which are scheduled to be built within the next decade.

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