Ark Dickens Primary Academy
Primary · Academy sponsor led · Ages 2–11 · Portsmouth
Last distance offered · Reception 2026
Every applicant was offered a place
From Portsmouth City Council · offers on 16 April 2026
Reception last distance offered, 2019–2026 (miles)
All: every applicant was offered a place.
Ark Dickens Primary Academy is a primary school in Portsmouth for ages 2–11 (academy sponsor led). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Standards maintained, from the inspection on 2 April 2025. Portsmouth has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2018 to 2026 entry.
Ark Dickens Primary Academy catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Reception 2026 | Every applicant was offered a place |
| Reception 2025 | Every applicant was offered a place |
| Reception 2024 | Every applicant was offered a place |
| Reception 2023 | Every applicant was offered a place |
| Reception 2022 | Every applicant was offered a place |
| Reception 2021 | Every applicant was offered a place |
| Reception 2020 | Every applicant was offered a place |
| Reception 2019 | Every applicant was offered a place |
| Reception 2018 | 0.34 mi |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- Every Reception 2026 applicant was offered a place, with 34 first-choice applications for 37 offers; places ran out in 1 of the 8 earlier years.
- In 2024/25, 67% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 62%), while 0% reached the higher standard (England 8%).
- Its 2024/25 figure of 67% was the 3rd highest of 7 schools: this one and the 6 of the 8 nearest primary schools in Portsmouth that have results.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Portsmouth schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Turner Road, Portsmouth, PO1 4PN
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 2–11
- Council
- Portsmouth
- Pupils on roll
- 446 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 50.7% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 19.9
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Standards maintained Inspected 2 April 2025
Strengths
- “The school is determined to help all pupils to ‘be your best’.”
- “Strong, respectful relationships permeate throughout.”
- “Pupils are delightful to talk to.”
To improve
- “However, on occasion, teachers do not capitalise on opportunities to reinforce important knowledge.”
- “When this happens, pupils do not remember their learning or deepen their understanding as well as they could.”
- “For example, sometimes in writing, pupils do not have sufficient, regular opportunities to reinforce basic punctuation and grammar skills so that they learn to use these automatically without thinking.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 22 May 2025 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| Key stage 2 · reading, writing and maths, expected standard (2024/25) | 67% | 62% |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Reception entry: 34 first-preference applications, 37 offers in total, 34 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby primary schools
Straight-line distance, in Portsmouth.
- Arundel Court Primary Academy and Nursery 0.3 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Manor Infant and Nursery School 0.4 mi Good Last distance published
- The Flying Bull Academy 0.4 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School 0.4 mi Good Last distance published
- Penbridge Infant School & Nursery 0.6 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- New Horizons Primary School 0.6 mi Good Last distance published
- Ark Ayrton Primary Academy 0.6 mi School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next Last distance published
- Penbridge Junior School 0.7 mi School remains Good