Portesham Church of England Primary School

Portesham Church of England Primary School is a small, inclusive primary that has improved decisively since joining the First Federation Trust. This was its first routine section 5 inspection, and it was judged good across all key judgements, with effective safeguarding. Leaders have built a broad, ambitious curriculum from the early years, staff know pupils as individuals, and pupils behave well and engage positively in learning. Provision for pupils with SEND is a particular strength, and the school’s work to welcome and support refugees for short periods is notable. Pupils benefit from strong early reading, effective professional development for staff, and a wide range of personal development opportunities, including art, clubs, trips and leadership roles. The school’s values of hope, service and compassion are evident in pupils’ compassion and community-mindedness. Leadership and governance are strong, staff are proud to work there, and trust support is valued. There are still a couple of areas to sharpen. On occasion, learning activities in some subjects do not match the intended curriculum, so pupils do not build and remember key knowledge as well as they should. At times, staff also do not address pupils’ misconceptions, leaving gaps in knowledge. These are the main improvement points identified for the trust and school.

Strengths

• Broad and ambitious curriculum from the early years
• Strong provision for pupils with SEND, with needs quickly identified and well supported
• Inclusive culture, including impressive support for refugees learning at the school for short periods
• Effective early reading programme with books matched to pupils’ phonics knowledge and swift catch-up support
• Pupils behave well, are attentive in lessons and interact positively at social times
• Rich personal development offer including art, clubs, trips, paddle boarding and leadership roles
• Staff benefit from effective professional development and present and model learning clearly
• Leaders and governance know the school well and hold leaders to account effectively
• Staff feel well supported, including for their well-being, and are proud to work at the school
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, learning activities do not always match the intended ambitious curriculum, so some pupils struggle to build and remember key knowledge
• Staff do not consistently address pupils’ misconceptions, which can leave gaps in pupils’ knowledge

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 Portesham Church of England Primary School attended 86.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 40.8% 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 Portesham Church of England 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 Portesham Church of England Primary School had 11.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.0% 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, 13.0% of pupils at Portesham Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.3% 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 Portesham Church of England Primary School received £9,732 and spent £10,990 for each of its 57 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £16,000 (£277 per pupil).

Across all 29 schools of The First Federation Trust, income was £7,461 and spending £7,535 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 Weymouth · Dorset local authority: places and applications

Portesham Church of England Primary School is part of The First Federation Trust, which runs 29 schools. The nearest others:

• Chickerell Primary Academy Weymouth
• Loders CofE Primary Academy Bridport
• Charmouth Primary School Bridport
• Marshwood CofE Primary Academy Bridport
• Thorncombe, St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy Thorncombe
• Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy Lyme Regis
• Hawkchurch Church of England School Axminster
• Axminster Community Primary Academy Axminster
• Musbury Primary School Axminster
• St Andrew's CofE Primary Academy Axminster

What is Portesham Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Portesham Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Portesham Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Portesham Church of England Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Portesham Church of England Primary School have?

Portesham Church of England Primary School has 46 pupils on roll.

What age range does Portesham Church of England Primary School cover?

Portesham Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Portesham Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 38% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Portesham Church of England Primary School?

Portesham Church of England Primary School is at Winters Close, Portesham, Weymouth, Dorset, DT3 4HP.