Arundel Court Primary Academy and Nursery

About Arundel Court Primary Academy and Nursery

Arundel Court Primary Academy and Nursery is a school that clearly inspires strong loyalty among local families. In the 2025/26 admissions round, it received 151 applications for just 83 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.82, meaning nearly two families applied for every spot. All 80 first-preference applicants were offered a place, which suggests that for those who put it top of their list, the school is reliably accessible. The school is led by headteacher Ruth Worswick and currently has 692 pupils on roll, well above its official capacity of 605, which points to a school that is genuinely popular and stretched. While the Parent View data isn't available in the most recent inspection record, the sheer volume of applications and the fact that every first-preference family got in tells you that this is a school parents actively choose, not one they fall back on.

Academically, the picture is more mixed and worth examining closely. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 35% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is below the Portsmouth local authority average of 53%. The school ranks 30th out of 32 primary schools in the local authority on this measure, placing it in the bottom 50 nationally. However, individual subject scores tell a slightly different story: 60% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, 53% in maths, and 52% in writing. Average scaled scores were 101 for reading and 100 for maths, both close to the national benchmark of 100. The proportion reaching the higher standard was low across the board, with 13% in reading and just 5% in maths. Given that 61.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, these results should be seen in the context of a school serving a community with significant socioeconomic challenges.

The school offers a notably broad range of facilities and activities for a state primary, including a gymnasium, art studios, a library, and even a chapel. Sports provision covers athletics, gymnastics, dance, football, cricket and cross country, while clubs include coding, art, choir, drama and an eco club. The nursery provision means children can join from age three, which is a practical advantage for working parents. SEND support is extensive, covering moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. This is a school that is clearly set up to support a wide range of needs. For families in Portsmouth who value a genuinely inclusive, community-focused primary with strong nursery provision and a full extracurricular programme, and who are comfortable with a school where academic outcomes are below the local average but reflect the challenges of its intake, Arundel Court is a serious contender.

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