Miltoncross Academy

Miltoncross Academy is a welcoming secondary school where most pupils are happy and feel safe. The school has high expectations and has improved behaviour by making expectations clearer, although some learning is still disrupted by a few pupils. Pupils are well supported in getting on respectfully, trust staff when they need help, and benefit from a strong personal development offer including clubs, leadership roles and improved careers guidance.

Strengths

• Welcoming environment where most pupils are happy and feel safe
• High expectations for pupils’ behaviour, with clearer routines leading to improved conduct
• Ambitious curriculum that enables many pupils to study EBacc subjects such as modern foreign languages
• Curriculum content is logically sequenced and teachers generally explain new learning well
• Reading is a high priority, with effective support for pupils who need help and activities that develop a love of reading
• Personal development is strong, including PSHE, assemblies and tutor time
• Careers guidance has improved so pupils can make informed decisions about next steps
• Pupils are well supported to be respectful and trust staff for help
• Leaders are determined and focused on improvement, and staff feel well supported
• Trust and governance provide effective support and challenge
• Communication with parents and parents’ views of the school have improved considerably
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Quality of education remains inconsistent, so pupils do not always learn as much as they need to achieve well
• Teachers do not consistently check pupils’ understanding or address misconceptions, leaving gaps in knowledge
• Activities are not always adapted well enough for pupils with SEND, particularly checking understanding as they learn
• Behaviour remains variable, and some off-task behaviour disrupts learning
• Expected behaviour management approaches are not applied consistently by all staff
• Attendance remains well below the national average
• Attendance data analysis is not precise enough to target action early and effectively
• The school did not make enough progress in the year following the previous inspection, although improvement later accelerated
• A significant minority of parents of pupils with SEND say better support is needed

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 Miltoncross Academy attended 88.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 14.2% of pupils at Miltoncross Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Miltoncross Academy had 20.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 21.6% of pupils at Miltoncross Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Miltoncross Academy received £8,681 and spent £8,954 for each of its 937 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £421,000 (£449 per pupil).

Across all 45 schools of The Kemnal Academies Trust, income was £8,501 and spending £8,452 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 Portsmouth · Portsmouth local authority: places and applications

Miltoncross Academy is part of The Kemnal Academies Trust, which runs 45 schools. The nearest others:

• Bridgemary School Gosport
• Front Lawn Primary Academy Havant
• Havant Academy Havant
• Chichester High School Chichester
• The Academy, Selsey Chichester
• Seal Primary Academy Selsey
• Portfield Primary Academy West Sussex
• Tangmere Primary Academy Chichester
• Weyfield Primary Academy Guildford
• The Bewbush Academy Crawley

What is Miltoncross Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Miltoncross Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Miltoncross Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Miltoncross Academy was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Miltoncross Academy have?

Miltoncross Academy has 983 pupils on roll.

What age range does Miltoncross Academy cover?

Miltoncross Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Miltoncross Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 35.8, and 27% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Miltoncross Academy?

Miltoncross Academy is at Milton Road, Milton, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO3 6RB.