Portslade Aldridge Community Academy
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Portslade Aldridge Community Academy is a sponsored academy in Brighton for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 910 pupils and room for 1,075. About 32 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. We give it 36 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 52% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in January 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.
Chalky Road, Portslade, Brighton, BN41 2WS01273 416300paca.uk.comDr Mark Poston principalAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted visited on 20 January 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.
Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 17 November 2021 | Ungraded | School remains Good |
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
192 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Brighton and Hove | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 192 | 187 | 168 | 166 | 83 | 70 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 42.7 | 46.6 | 44.8 | 49.7 | 42.4 | 48.7 | 45.6 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.01 | -0.10 | +0.24 | -0.06 | +0.30 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 43% | 46% | 43% | 53% | 34% | 56% | 45% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 61% | 66% | 68% | 73% | 53% | 71% | 65% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 4.18 | 4.53 | 4.16 | 4.66 | 3.98 | 3.17 | 4.17 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 67% | 63% | 48% | 63% | 80% | 10% | 51% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 31.1 | 37.5 | 30.1 | 38.9 | 30.4 | 37.1 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 47.5 | 50.1 | 49.9 | 53.5 | 45.4 | 51.1 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 30.7 | 24.1 | 31.9 | 19.7 | 27.3 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 66.1 | 62.6 | 69.7 | 62.6 | 62.3 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 17 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Art and Design (36% here, 58% across England), English Literature (44% here, 58% across England), Physical Education (45% here, 56% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 191 | 22% | 52% | 70% | 53% | 1,531 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 191 | 11% | 48% | 63% | 54% | 1,927 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 178 | 7% | 44% | 66% | 58% | 2,484 of 3,202 |
| Combined Science | 150 | 11% | 45% | 65% | 36% | 785 of 3,084 |
| Geography | 100 | 16% | 51% | 62% | 51% | 1,343 of 3,116 |
| Spanish | 76 | 24% | 61% | 74% | 54% | 777 of 1,941 |
| History | 64 | 14% | 52% | 64% | 52% | 1,477 of 3,126 |
| Art and Design | 56 | 5% | 36% | 66% | 58% | 2,379 of 2,818 |
| French | 51 | 33% | 82% | 86% | 60% | 359 of 1,974 |
| Business | 46 | 20% | 41% | 54% | 51% | 1,127 of 1,806 |
| Computer Science | 40 | 33% | 78% | 78% | 56% | 335 of 1,861 |
| Physics | 30 | 73% | 100% | 100% | 82% | 171 of 2,546 |
| Chemistry | 29 | 76% | 100% | 100% | 81% | 179 of 2,537 |
| Biology | 29 | 69% | 100% | 100% | 82% | 179 of 2,570 |
| Physical Education | 20 | 10% | 45% | 65% | 56% | 1,063 of 1,559 |
| Social Studies | 20 | 20% | 55% | 70% | 54% | 485 of 1,043 |
| Other Modern Languages | 7 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 49% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
A level and sixth-form results, 2019
69 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 69 | 86 | 91 | 110 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | 22.14 | 21.12 | 23.03 | 19.05 |
| Average A level grade | D+ | D | D+ | D |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | 23.89 | 19.17 | 27.33 | – |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | 0% | 0% | 0% | – |
| A level progressA level value added | -0.78 | -0.65 | -0.49 | -0.30 |
| Stayed and finishedRetained and assessed | 82% | 95% | 83% | – |
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 3 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
532 places were empty (37% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 3% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Brighton and Hove council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
What parents say
From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 114 parents answered in the year to 6 April 2026. Parents choose whether to fill it in, and many only do so when an inspection is coming, so don't read too much into small differences. The England figures are the average for secondary schools with enough answers to publish.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (71), emotional and mental health (69), Specific learning difficulty (50), language and communications needs (25), Moderate learning difficulty (16), Physical disability (3).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 910 | 928 | 974 | 953 | 954 | 876 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 32% | 32% | 30% | 27% | 26% | 21% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 7% | 8% | 8% | 7% | 7% | 8% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 18% | 16% | 16% | 17% | 16% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 5% | 4% | 2% | 3% | 3% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 88.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 11.6% | 11.8% | 11.9% | 11.6% | 6.7% | 7.6% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 6.9% | 6.5% | 7.0% | 7.8% | 4.9% | 4.6% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 4.7% | 5.3% | 4.9% | 3.8% | 1.9% | 3.1% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 28.2% | 35.0% | 33.8% | 36.1% | 18.0% | 17.6% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 5.3 | 30.2 | 27.0 | 15.0 | 11.3 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 168 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 72%, compared with 94% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 89% | 92% | 90% | 88% |
| Education | 85% | 86% | 81% | 85% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 2% | 6% | 0% |
| Work | 2% | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Not in education, work or training | 8% | 7% | 7% | 9% |
After sixth form
Where the 47 pupils who left in 2016/17 were a year later.
Where the ones heading for university went
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoreham Academy | Academy | 1.3 miles | 1,759 | Outstanding 2024 | 92 | Compare |
| King's School | Free school | 1.5 miles | 925 | Report card 2026 | 86 | Compare |
| Blatchington Mill School | Council | 2.0 miles | 1,622 | Good 2022 | 68 | Compare |
| Hove Park School and Sixth Form Centre | Council | 2.1 miles | 941 | Report card 2026 | 18 | Compare |
| Cardinal Newman Catholic School | Roman Catholic | 3.1 miles | 2,657 | No overall grade 2024 | 80 | Compare |
| Dorothy Stringer School | Council | 3.6 miles | 1,626 | Good 2023 | 63 | Compare |
| Patcham High School | Council | 3.7 miles | 1,074 | Good 2023 | 35 | Compare |
| Varndean School | Council | 3.9 miles | 1,487 | Good 2022 | 68 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Portslade Aldridge Community Academy with the 29 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 29 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 36 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 36% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 28 to 46. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | in line | -0.04 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 192 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | below | -0.09 | Ofsted report card, 0.6 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | in line | -0.02 | DfE progress measure; 192 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | below | -0.09 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | below | -0.05 | 2024/25; 979 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | above | +0.04 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 192 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | below | -0.02 | 168 pupils |
| What parents say | 5% | well above | +0.05 | Ofsted's Parent View survey, allowing for how many parents replied; 114 responses |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Portslade Aldridge Community Academy a good school?
It is about average. Portslade Aldridge Community Academy scores 36 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 52% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 28 to 46, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.
What is Portslade Aldridge Community Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 20 January 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as needs attention, leadership as as expected.
How good are Portslade Aldridge Community Academy's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 43% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 42.7, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about level with children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Portslade Aldridge Community Academy have?
910 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,075 places, so it is 85% full.
Is Portslade Aldridge Community Academy oversubscribed?
Probably not. 532 places were empty in 2024/25 (37% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Portslade Aldridge Community Academy?
Pupils were in school 88.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 28% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
What do parents say about Portslade Aldridge Community Academy?
94% of the 114 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 90% say their child is happy there. Across England, 77% of parents would recommend their child's school.
How big are the classes at Portslade Aldridge Community Academy?
The average class had 22.9 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 14% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Portslade Aldridge Community Academy have a sixth form?
Yes. The average A level grade in 2019 was D+.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Chalky Road, Portslade, Brighton, BN41 2WS
- Telephone
- 01273 416300
- Website
- www.paca.uk.com
- Principal
- Dr Mark Poston
- Type of school
- Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Aldridge Education (9 schools)
- Local authority
- Brighton and Hove
- Ward
- North Portslade
- Constituency
- Hove and Portslade
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2011 (new provision)
- URN
- 137063 · LAESTAB 8464001 · UKPRN 10034944
- Formerly
- Portslade Community College
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.