Medina Primary School

Medina Primary School is a welcoming, inclusive primary school that has been through a period of transition, including a new headteacher from September 2024. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and provisional published outcomes in 2024 were low, but inspectors found the school had taken decisive action and pupils now achieve well. Staff know pupils' needs well, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. Most areas are judged good, with personal development exceptional. Pupils are polite, respectful and benefit from a rich set of experiences, clubs and leadership opportunities. The curriculum identifies important knowledge and sequences it logically, and early reading and phonics support are strong. Behaviour routines are calm and pupils work hard. The main areas for improvement are writing and assessment of remembered knowledge. Writing is not yet sufficiently embedded, so not enough pupils write to a high standard, and in a few subjects the school lacks robust systems for checking what pupils remember, leaving gaps that are not always identified and addressed.

Strengths

• Strong inclusive ethos and high-quality care for all pupils and families
• High expectations for behaviour, with pupils who are polite and respectful
• Ambitious curriculum that now helps pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, achieve well
• Clearly sequenced curriculum identifying the most important knowledge from early years to Year 6
• Strong staff subject knowledge and effective use of discussion to deepen pupils' thinking
• Effective early phonics teaching and swift support for pupils who fall behind in reading
• Calm, warm behaviour approach that helps pupils reflect on feelings and minimises disruption
• Exceptional personal development provision, including the 'Medina Moments' programme, wide clubs and pupil leadership
• Strong community engagement and opportunities for pupils to celebrate diversity
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Positive staff culture with supportive leadership through improvement

Areas for Improvement

• Writing is not fully embedded, and not enough pupils produce writing of a high standard
• In a few subjects, systems for checking pupils' recall of key knowledge are not robust enough, leading to gaps and misconceptions

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Medina Primary School attended 94.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Medina Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Medina Primary School had 21.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 17.2% of pupils at Medina Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Medina Primary School received £7,990 and spent £7,637 for each of its 204 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £265,000 (£1,300 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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What is Medina Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Medina Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Medina Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Medina Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Medina Primary School have?

Medina Primary School has 204 pupils on roll.

What age range does Medina Primary School cover?

Medina Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Medina Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Medina Primary School?

Medina Primary School is at Medina Road, Cosham, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO6 3NH.