St Swithun's Catholic Primary School
Taswell Road, Southsea, PO5 2RG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jennifer Verhiest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Portsmouth (rc)
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Portsmouth South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 351
- Pupils on roll
- 351
- URN
- 116386
- Local authority
- Portsmouth
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02392829339
About this school
St Swithun's Catholic Primary School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided primary school in Southsea. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 351 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 26 February 2025, 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 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 45 | 46 | 45 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 64% | 67% | 69% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 71% | 89% | 76% |
| Expected standard in maths | 87% | 78% | 76% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 87% | 91% | 80% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 108.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 106.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.00 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Swithun's Catholic Primary 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 | Portsmouth average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 64% | 48% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 67% | 48.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 69% | 51.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 350 |
| 2023/24 | 357 |
| 2024/25 | 354 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Swithun's Catholic Primary School compares
St Swithun's Catholic Primary School ranked 4th of 32 primary schools in Portsmouth for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 69% | 4.5% | 16.2% | 351 | — |
| Southsea Infant School | — | 5.7% | 16.4% | 167 | 0.2 miles |
| Craneswater Junior School | 53% | 3.9% | 26.7% | 508 | 0.4 miles |
| Bramble Infant School and Nursery | — | 4.9% | 16.1% | 162 | 0.6 miles |
| Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery | 53% | 5.5% | 46% | 462 | 0.6 miles |
| Devonshire Infant School | — | 5.5% | 30.9% | 171 | 0.8 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 16.19%
- English as an additional language
- 47.2%
- Overall absence
- 4.45%
- Persistent absence
- 10.28%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Southsea Infant School0.2 miles
Primary · Southsea
-
Craneswater Junior School0.4 miles
Primary · Southsea
-
Bramble Infant School and Nursery0.6 miles
Primary · Southsea
-
Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery0.6 miles
Primary · Southsea
-
Devonshire Infant School0.8 miles
Primary · Southsea
Other schools in Southsea
- Bramble Infant School and Nursery Primary
- Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Craneswater Junior School Primary
- Cumberland Infant School Primary
- Devonshire Infant School Primary
- Fernhurst Junior School Primary
- Meon Infant School Primary
- Moorings Way Infant School Primary
- Southsea Infant School Primary
- Ark Charter Academy Secondary
- Priory School Secondary
- Mayville High School Independent schools
Common questions
- What year groups does St Swithun's Catholic Primary School teach?
- St Swithun's Catholic Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Southsea.
- Who is the headteacher of St Swithun's Catholic Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Swithun's Catholic Primary School is Mrs Jennifer Verhiest, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Swithun's Catholic Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Swithun's Catholic Primary 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 St Swithun's Catholic Primary School?
- St Swithun's Catholic Primary School has 351 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is St Swithun's Catholic Primary School full?
- St Swithun's Catholic Primary School has capacity for 351 pupils and 351 on roll (100%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Swithun's Catholic Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Swithun's Catholic Primary School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Portsmouth (rc).
- Does St Swithun's Catholic Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Swithun's Catholic Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have St Swithun's Catholic Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 64% in 2022/23 and 69% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Swithun's Catholic Primary School rank locally?
- St Swithun's Catholic Primary School ranked 4th of 32 primary schools in Portsmouth for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Swithun's Catholic Primary School's absence rate?
- St Swithun's Catholic Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Swithun's Catholic Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Swithun's Catholic Primary 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 30 June 2026.