Classpot

St Swithun's Catholic Primary School

Portsmouth, PO5 2RGPrimaryAges 2–11MixedState
Ofsted Rating
Good
Feb 2025
KS2 Results
67%
meeting expected standard in RWM
Competition
1.2×
Oversubscribed
56 1st-choice / 46 places
Ranking
#5,619
of 13,686 nationally

About St Swithun's Catholic Primary School

St Swithun's Catholic Primary School sits well above the Portsmouth average for its key stage 2 results, with 67% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a local authority average of 53%. That 14-point gap places the school comfortably in the top tier of primary schools in the city, ranking 7th out of 32 schools on this measure and in the top 50 nationally. The school is oversubscribed by a ratio of 2.67 to 1, with 123 applications for 46 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, and 45 of those offers went to first-preference families. It's a Roman Catholic state primary for mixed genders aged 2 to 11, led by headteacher Jennifer Verhiest, and its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2025 confirmed that standards are being maintained at Good, a notable improvement from the Requires Improvement rating it received in 2014.

Key Details

School TypePrimary (State)
Age Range2 to 11 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterRoman Catholic
AddressTaswell Road, Southsea, Portsmouth, PO5 2RG
HeadteacherJennifer Verhiest
Local AuthorityPortsmouth
Number of Pupils354
Free School Meals (FSM)16.5%
School Capacity354 / 351 (101% full)
Nursery ClassesYes

Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

26 Feb 2025
View Report
Overall Effectiveness
Good
Leadership & Management
Good
Early Years Provision
Good

Latest monitoring visit (26 Feb 2025): Standards maintained

Source: Ofsted, 19 Feb 2016. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

Facilities

8
ICT SuiteGymnasiumSports HallSensory RoomDining HallMusic RoomsArt StudiosChapel

Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.

Extracurriculars

11

Sports

SwimmingAthleticsNetballGymnasticsTennis

Clubs & Activities

ChessBook ClubCodingChoirScience ClubFilm Club

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

SEND Support

AutismDyslexiaMental HealthSpeech & LanguageHearingLearning DifficultyMulti-Sensory

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

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Frequently Asked Questions About St Swithun's Catholic Primary School

St Swithun's Catholic Primary School has been rated "Good" by Ofsted. This means the school provides a good standard of education and effectively supports all pupils to succeed.