Portland Spencer Academy

Portland Spencer Academy has received an overall grade of outstanding, reflecting a strong performance across all key areas, including education quality, behaviour, personal development, and leadership. The school demonstrates a clear ambition to achieve high standards for all its pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Their inclusive approach ensures that each pupil is known as an individual and supported to thrive both academically and socially. The community feel is evident, with strong staff and pupil relationships, and various opportunities for personal growth, notably through clubs and the pupil parliament. One of the school's notable strengths is its ambitious and well-structured curriculum that promotes deep understanding through an emphasis on subject-specific vocabulary and cross-curricular connections. The commitment to reading development is particularly strong, as the school focuses on nurturing a love for reading among its pupils. Overall, Portland Spencer Academy is a cohesive and effective educational institution, successfully preparing its students for future challenges and responsibilities.

Strengths

• An ambitious and intelligently designed curriculum
• Effective support for pupils with SEND
• Strong emphasis on reading skills development
• Pupils actively involved in school life and decision-making
• Positive relationships and a calm school environment
• High staff morale and commitment to professional development

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 Portland Spencer Academy attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.9% 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, 5.2% of pupils at Portland Spencer Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 2 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 Portland Spencer Academy had 19.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.2% 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, 14.2% of pupils at Portland Spencer Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.3% 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 2024–25 Portland Spencer Academy received £7,832 and spent £7,958 for each of its 387 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £176,000 (-£454 per pupil).

Across all 27 schools of The Spencer Academies Trust, income was £7,619 and spending £7,638 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Nottingham · Nottingham local authority: places and applications

Portland Spencer Academy is part of The Spencer Academies Trust, which runs 27 schools. The nearest others:

• Glenbrook Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Sunnyside Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Fairfield Spencer Academy Nottingham
• George Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Bispham Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Chetwynd Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Farnborough Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Rushcliffe Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Arnold Hill Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Rosecliffe Spencer Academy Nottingham

What is Portland Spencer Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Portland Spencer Academy is Outstanding, from an inspection in January 2024.

When was Portland Spencer Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Portland Spencer Academy was last inspected in January 2024.

How many pupils does Portland Spencer Academy have?

Portland Spencer Academy has 366 pupils on roll.

What age range does Portland Spencer Academy cover?

Portland Spencer Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Portland Spencer Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Portland Spencer Academy?

Portland Spencer Academy is at Westwick Road, Bilborough, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG8 4HB.