New Horizons Primary School

New Horizons Primary School is performing well overall, receiving a 'Good' rating in all inspection areas including the quality of education, behaviour, personal development, leadership, and early years provision. The school fosters a safe and supportive environment where pupils enjoy learning and are encouraged to strive for excellence. Leaders have made significant progress in implementing a robust curriculum and ensuring pupils with special educational needs and disabilities are well-supported. However, the school does face challenges, particularly in ensuring all pupils effectively develop their phonics skills and improve attendance among a small group of vulnerable pupils.

Strengths

• Strong and supportive pastoral care prioritizing student well-being
• Well-designed, challenging curriculum catering to all pupils
• Effective support for pupils with SEND
• High expectations for pupil behaviour and learning
• Vibrant early years environment promoting positive relationships
• Strong emphasis on reading and developing a love of books
• Involvement in community projects like litter picking and beach cleaning

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent phonics teaching expertise among some staff
• A minority of pupils struggling to keep up with reading skills
• Attendance issues for a small group of vulnerable pupils

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 New Horizons Primary School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.0% 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, 1.5% of pupils at New Horizons Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 New Horizons Primary School had 19.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.1% 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, 12.8% of pupils at New Horizons Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.1% 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 New Horizons Primary School received £6,944 and spent £7,301 for each of its 551 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £123,000 (£224 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of The Thinking Schools Academy Trust, income was £8,363 and spending £8,363 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

New Horizons Primary School is part of The Thinking Schools Academy Trust, which runs 25 schools. The nearest others:

• Penbridge Junior School Portsmouth
• The Portsmouth Academy Portsmouth
• Penbridge Infant School Portsmouth
• Moorings Way Infant School Southsea
• Meon Junior School Portsmouth
• Meon Infant School Southsea
• Cedar Children's Academy Rochester
• The Rochester Grammar School Rochester
• Gordons Children's Academy, Junior Rochester
• Gordons Children's Academy, Infant Rochester

What is New Horizons Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for New Horizons Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2023.

When was New Horizons Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

New Horizons Primary School was last inspected in September 2023.

How many pupils does New Horizons Primary School have?

New Horizons Primary School has 509 pupils on roll.

What age range does New Horizons Primary School cover?

New Horizons Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 49% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is New Horizons Primary School?

New Horizons Primary School is at Portchester Road, North End, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO2 7JB.