Classpot

Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery

Portsmouth, PO5 1HGPrimaryAges 2–11MixedState
Ofsted Rating
Requires Improvement
Jun 2024
KS2 Results
45%
meeting expected standard in RWM
Competition
0.9×
Not oversubscribed
41 1st-choice / 46 places
Ranking
#11,723
of 13,686 nationally

About Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery

Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery in Portsmouth is a school that parents clearly want for their children, even if the official data tells a more complicated story. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 112 applications for just 46 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.43, meaning more than two families applied for every spot. Of those, 40 first-preference offers were made from 41 first-preference applications, so almost everyone who put it first got in. That level of demand suggests a strong local reputation, but it's worth noting that the school's most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024 rated overall effectiveness as Requires Improvement, a downgrade from its previous Good rating in 2019. However, the inspection breakdown is unusually mixed: behaviour and attitudes, and personal development, were both rated Outstanding, while early years provision and leadership and management were Good. Only the quality of education was flagged as Requires Improvement.

Key Details

School TypePrimary (State)
Age Range2 to 11 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterDoes not apply
AddressChivers Close, Southsea, Portsmouth, PO5 1HG
HeadteacherLee Branscombe
Local AuthorityPortsmouth
Number of Pupils477
Free School Meals (FSM)44.7%
School Capacity477 / 450 (106% full)
Nursery ClassesYes

The full report on this school

The inspection in plain English, admissions context, and how this school compares to nearby alternatives — all in one full school report.

  • Ofsted inspection in plain English
    Strengths, concerns and what inspectors flagged
  • Parent View survey results
    What parents told Ofsted — when the school has 10+ responses
  • Where Ofsted and parents disagree
    Gaps to probe + questions to ask at the open day
  • Admissions & catchment
    Admission criteria, distance cutoffs (where the LA publishes them)
  • Nearby schools compared
    Backup options with Ofsted, demand and distance
  • Attendance & behaviour data
    Persistent absentees, suspensions and exclusions vs national
See an example
One-off paymentNo subscriptionStripe checkout

Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

25 Jun 2024
View Report
Overall Effectiveness
Requires improvement
Quality of Education
Requires improvement
Behaviour & Attitudes
Outstanding
Personal Development
Outstanding
Leadership & Management
Good
Early Years Provision
Good

Source: Ofsted, 2 Oct 2024. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

Facilities

6
Dining HallMusic RoomsGymnasiumLibraryOutdoor PlaygroundChapel

Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.

Extracurriculars

10

Sports

FootballCricketRoundersGymnastics

Clubs & Activities

Book ClubDramaGardeningScience ClubFilm ClubChess

Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.

SEND Support

AutismDyslexiaMental HealthSpeech & LanguageHearingVisionLearning DifficultyOther

Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.

School day

Verified

Teaching hours

08:55 – 15:15

Breakfast club

08:00-08:40

After-school care

15:15-18:00

Source: cottagegrove.co.uk. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.

Was this page helpful?

Frequently Asked Questions About Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery

Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery has been rated "Requires Improvement" by Ofsted. This means the school is not yet good, but inspectors believe it can improve with the right support and changes.