Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery

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.

Academically, the picture is similarly uneven. At Key Stage 2 in 2023/24, 45% 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 24th out of 32 primary schools in the local authority on this measure, placing it in the bottom 50% nationally. Individual subject scores tell a more nuanced story: 76% of pupils met the expected standard in reading and 75% in maths, but writing lagged behind at 53%. The proportion reaching the higher standard was low across the board, with just 2% achieving it in reading, writing and maths combined. Average scaled scores were 102 in both reading and maths, which is exactly the national average. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it's hard to say whether pupils are improving at a typical rate relative to their starting points.

The school offers a wide range of facilities including a dining hall, music rooms, gymnasium, library, outdoor playground and even a chapel, plus sports like football, cricket, rounders and gymnastics. Clubs include book club, drama, gardening, science club, film club and chess. SEND provision is comprehensive, covering specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, and autistic spectrum disorder. With nursery provision from age two, it suits families looking for an all-through primary with strong pastoral care and behaviour management, given the Outstanding ratings in those areas. The school is oversubscribed, so applying early and as a first preference is essential. It may particularly suit families who value a supportive, well-behaved environment over headline academic results, and who want a school that actively works with a wide range of additional needs.

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