Portfield School
Parley Lane, Christchurch, BH23 6BP
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Non-maintained special school
- Ages
- 4 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Head Teacher
- Mrs Anna Hewitt
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Christchurch
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 150
- Pupils on roll
- 144
- URN
- 113942
- Local authority
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01202573808
About this school
Portfield School is a special school in Christchurch. It teaches children aged 4 to 19 and has 144 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 27 November 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 13 | 8 | 13 |
| Attainment 8 score | - | - | - |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | - | - | - |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | - | - | - |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Portfield School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 110 |
| 2023/24 | 119 |
| 2024/25 | 137 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 34.19%
- English as an additional language
- 5.1%
- Overall absence
- 8.25%
- Persistent absence
- 27.27%
- Pupils with an EHC plan
- 82
- Pupils on SEN support
- 0
Location
Nearby schools
-
Linwood School3.0 miles
Special schools · Bournemouth
-
Bournemouth University3.0 miles
Universities · Poole
-
Cambian Wing College3.0 miles
Other types · Bournemouth
-
Arts University Bournemouth3.1 miles
Universities · Poole
-
Park School3.1 miles
Independent schools · Bournemouth
Other schools in Christchurch
- Christchurch Learning Centre Local authority maintained schools
- Connie Rothman School Special schools
- Futures Autism Unlimited Other types
- The Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy Other types
- Bransgore Church of England Primary School Primary
- Burton Church of England Primary School Primary
- Christchurch Infant School Primary
- Christchurch Junior School Primary
- Highcliffe St Mark Primary School Primary
- Mudeford Community Infants' School Primary
- Mudeford Junior School Primary
- Somerford Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Portfield School teach?
- Portfield School teaches children aged 4 to 19. It is a special school in Christchurch.
- Who is the head teacher of Portfield School?
- The head teacher of Portfield School is Mrs Anna Hewitt, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Portfield School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Portfield School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Portfield School?
- Portfield School has 144 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 19.
- Is Portfield School full?
- Portfield School has capacity for 150 pupils and 144 on roll (96%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Portfield School a faith school?
- No. Portfield School has no designated religious character.
- What SEN provision does Portfield School have?
- The schools register lists Portfield School's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- What is Portfield School's absence rate?
- Portfield School's overall absence rate is 8.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Portfield School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Portfield School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.