Ark Dickens Primary Academy

General Information

Address: Turner Road, Portsmouth, PO1 4PN
Phone: 02392826514
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Laura Berry
Age range: 2-11 years
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Number of pupils: 446
School capacity: 480
Pupils eligible for free school meals: 223
% eligible for free school meals: 54.8%
Nursery provision: Yes

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Behaviour information for this school has not been added yet.

Attendance

Overall absence: 6.1%
Persistently absent pupils: 21.8%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

SEN provision information for this school has not been added yet.

Pupils on SEN Support: 15.5%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 4.3%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Moderate learning difficulty: 21 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 20 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 14 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 4 pupils
Multi-sensory impairment: 4 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Social, emotional and mental health: 6 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 4 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 4 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 4 pupils
Physical disability: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

Behaviour

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Openness

–

Teaching Quality

–

School Ethos

–

Ability to Deal with Problems

–

Headteacher Approval

–

Would recommend –

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Educational Attainment

Good 2019 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Educational attainment data for this school has not been added yet.

View full Ofsted inspection report

Ranked #2 of 19 Ofsted Rating schools of this type in the area

#1Ark Ayrton Primary AcademyGood
#2Ark Dickens Primary AcademyGood
#3Arundel Court Primary Academy and NurseryGood
#4Corpus Christi Catholic Primary SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

#1Ark Ayrton Primary AcademyGood
#2Ark Dickens Primary AcademyGood
#3Arundel Court Primary Academy and NurseryGood
#4Corpus Christi Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#5Gatcombe Park Primary SchoolGood
#6Highbury Primary SchoolGood
#7Langstone Primary AcademyGood
#8Milton Park Primary SchoolGood
#9New Horizons Primary SchoolGood
#10Portsdown Primary SchoolGood
#11St George's Beneficial Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary SchoolGood
#12St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#13St Jude's CofE Primary SchoolGood
#14St Paul's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#15The Flying Bull AcademyGood
#16Westover Primary SchoolGood
#17Wimborne Primary SchoolGood
#18Cottage Grove Primary School and NurseryRequires improvement
#19Mayfield SchoolInadequate

Financials

Financial summary information for this school has not been added yet.

Spending per pupil: £7,511 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

Ranked #6 of 24 Spending Per Pupil schools of this type in the area

#4St Paul's Catholic Primary School£8,265
#5St George's Beneficial Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School£8,262
#6Ark Dickens Primary Academy£7,511
#7Medina Primary School£7,389
#8St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School£7,259

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

#1Beacon View Primary Academy£9,594
#2Portsdown Primary School£8,818
#3The Victory Primary School£8,729
#4St Paul's Catholic Primary School£8,265
#5St George's Beneficial Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School£8,262
#6Ark Dickens Primary Academy£7,511
#7Medina Primary School£7,389
#8St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School£7,259
#9The Flying Bull Academy£7,173
#10Milton Park Primary School£7,074
#11Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery£6,937
#12Ark Ayrton Primary Academy£6,711
#13Gatcombe Park Primary School£6,659
#14Mayfield School£6,639
#15St Jude's CofE Primary School£6,568
#16Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School£6,545
#17St Swithun's Catholic Primary School£6,494
#18Wimborne Primary School£6,307
#19Copnor Primary School£6,212
#20Westover Primary School£6,148
#21Highbury Primary School£6,046
#22Arundel Court Primary Academy and Nursery£6,011
#23New Horizons Primary School£5,621
#24Langstone Primary Academy£5,152

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)