School Chooser

Redwood Park Academy

Special · ages 11-16MixedAcademy168 pupilsPortsmouth
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedOutstandingLast Ofsted inspection, November 2019
Attendance89.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families58%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull168 pupils, 155 places
Pupils per teacher7.0School workforce census
Pupils on roll168Census January 2026

Redwood Park Academy is a sponsored special academy in Portsmouth for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 168 pupils, 13 more than it has places for. About 58 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2019.

Wembley Grove, Cosham, Portsmouth, PO6 2RY023 9237 7500Louise Quaid headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 19 November 2019, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Outstanding overall. A later, shorter visit on 24 April 2025 said: “Some aspects not as strong”.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Outstanding
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

This inspection is more than 6 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
24 April 2025UngradedSome aspects not as strong

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

31 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE scoreOfficial name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-1.54In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2018/19, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018PortsmouthEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11312931272233
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 82.042.046.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-1.54
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%38%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%60%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.143.704.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%43%41%
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers2.2

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

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 Portsmouth council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll168Census January 2026
Places155108% full
Pupils from low-income families58%58% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English17%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%168 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)57%£105,600 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls122 / 46
White British pupils76%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (60), language and communications needs (48), Moderate learning difficulty (21), Severe learning difficulty (14), emotional and mental health (14), Physical disability (6).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll168165160162154144
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals58%57%62%61%62%65%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language17%14%14%11%8%8%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%1%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%99%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 89.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance89.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school30.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils7.92024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.6%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence10.7%10.9%12.3%13.5%6.4%7.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence8.1%7.7%8.0%8.7%4.5%5.0%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.6%3.2%4.3%4.8%1.9%2.9%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence30.7%31.3%35.0%39.6%17.9%19.0%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate7.92.53.70.70.7
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 31 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training84%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training84%82%93%83%
Education84%82%93%80%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%3%
Work0%0%0%0%
Not in education, work or training0%7%4%10%

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers24.0full-time equivalent, 25 people
Pupils per teacher7.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers88%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants38.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£49,668
Teachers who left in the year26%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher10.62024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£24,442England £30,720. Total £4.0m
Income per pupil£25,467England £33,526. Total £4.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£10,939England £11,966
Money in reserve11%A healthy amount put by: £445k, £2,698 per pupil. England 16%
Money in against money out+£169kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£24,442spent per pupil

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

Crimes within 500 m22912 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate85 per 1,000 people7% lower than the England average
Typical house price£257,500Portsmouth
Nearest bus stop150 mWembley Grove, 8 stops within 500 m

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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
City of Portsmouth CollegeFurther education70 mNot inspectedCompare
Highbury Primary SchoolAcademy270 m391Report card 202530Compare
Court Lane Infant AcademyAcademy820 m346Good 202442Compare
Court Lane Junior AcademyAcademy820 m474Good 202421Compare
Springfield SchoolAcademy960 m1,133No overall grade 202538Compare
Trafalgar SchoolAcademy0.7 miles1,031Good 202351Compare
UTC PortsmouthUniversity technical college0.7 miles491Report card 202550Compare
Gatcombe Park Primary SchoolAcademy0.8 miles203Good 202339Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Redwood Park Academy a good school?

Redwood Park Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it outstanding at its last inspection in November 2019.

What is Redwood Park Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Redwood Park Academy outstanding at its last full inspection on 19 November 2019. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.

How many pupils does Redwood Park Academy have?

168 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 155 places, so it is 108% full.

What is attendance like at Redwood Park Academy?

Pupils were in school 89.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 31% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Wembley Grove, Cosham, Portsmouth, PO6 2RY
Telephone
023 9237 7500
Headteacher
Louise Quaid
Type of school
Sponsored special academy (Academy special sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Special school, ages 11-16
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Solent Academies Trust (6 schools)
Local authority
Portsmouth
Ward
Cosham
Constituency
Portsmouth North
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 February 2017 (new provision)
URN
143828 · LAESTAB 8517001 · UKPRN 10062010
Formerly
Redwood Park School

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from