Portland Spencer Academy

About Portland Spencer Academy

Portland Spencer Academy sits within the Nottingham local authority, where it ranks 13th out of 74 primary schools — comfortably in the top fifth of its peers. The three highest-scoring schools in the area are St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School, Edna G. Olds Academy, and South Wilford Endowed CofE Primary School, but Portland Spencer stands apart as one of only six primaries in Nottingham to hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted. That rating was awarded in November 2023, a clear step up from its previous Good grade in 2017. The school is led by headteacher Joseph Handy and serves 388 pupils, just shy of its capacity of 390. With 45.1% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a significantly more disadvantaged intake than many of its neighbours, making its strong local standing all the more notable.

Academically, Portland Spencer delivers results that comfortably exceed the Nottingham average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 72% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a local authority average of 60%. Reading and maths average scores were 107 and 106 respectively, and the proportion reaching the higher standard in reading was 41%, with 28% in maths and 17% in writing. The school’s Ofsted inspection gave top marks across the board — Outstanding for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The previous inspection in 2017 had rated early years as Requires Improvement and overall effectiveness as Good, so the 2023 report represents a clear improvement trajectory. Nationally, the school ranks in the top 27% of all primaries for the combined expected standard metric.

The school offers a nursery provision for children from age three and has a broad range of facilities including a library, forest school area, sensory room, playing fields and a chapel. Sports on offer include tennis, football, rounders, cricket, swimming and athletics, while clubs cover chess, eco and art. The SEND provision is comprehensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication, hearing impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 55 applications for 28 places, with 27 first-preference offers made. This is a school that suits families looking for a strongly performing, inclusive primary with proven capacity to support a wide range of needs, set in a diverse urban context.

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