School Chooser

The Portsmouth Grammar School

Independent · ages 2-19MixedIndependent973 pupilsSixth formNurseryPortsmouth
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Strong pass in English and maths0%England 46%
Places816 spare973 pupils, 1,789 places
Average A level gradeA-2024/25
Pupils on roll973Census January 2024

The Portsmouth Grammar School is an independent school in Portsmouth for boys and girls aged 2 to 19. It has 973 pupils and room for 1,789.

High Street, Old Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 2LN023 9236 0036pgs.org.ukMr Andrew Fisher headmasterAll details

Inspection

This private school is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, not Ofsted. Its reports are at isi.net.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

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

Average GCSE score41.5
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths0%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths0%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 36.236.220182019: 53.353.320192022: 45.745.720222023: 34.734.720232024: 42.942.920242025: 41.541.52025
Since 2018: +5.3
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018PortsmouthEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11156144202152165161
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 841.542.934.745.753.336.242.046.8
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%38%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%60%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score2.862.952.473.354.253.133.704.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%0%0%43%41%

Subjects

Results came out for 16 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

Geography98%grades 9 to 5, England 51%
Design & Technology96%grades 9 to 5, England 50%
Business91%grades 9 to 5, England 51%
Religious Studies97%grades 9 to 5, England 60%
What is taught hereOffers triple science, music, classics.
LanguagesLatin25

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
90%England 58%
Physics115 entries
98%England 82%
Chemistry115 entries
99%England 81%
Biology115 entries
97%England 82%
Business76 entries
91%England 51%
96%England 50%
Geography44 entries
98%England 51%
63%England 36%
97%England 60%
Drama30 entries
97%England 60%
83%England 52%
Latin25 entries
84%England 82%
Art and Design23 entries
91%England 58%
Music13 entries
100%England 61%
73%England 58%
History10 entries
80%England 52%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
English Literature15045%90%97%58%
Physics11572%98%99%82%
Chemistry11575%99%99%81%
Biology11571%97%99%82%
Business7662%91%96%51%
Design & Technology5469%96%98%50%
Geography4459%98%100%51%
Combined Science3514%63%91%36%
Religious Studies3361%97%97%60%
Drama3080%97%100%60%
Food Preparation & Nutrition2952%83%97%52%
Latin2556%84%96%82%
Art and Design2370%91%91%58%
Music1385%100%100%61%
Classical Civilisation1136%73%91%58%
History1060%80%90%52%

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, 2025

133 students finished sixth-form courses.

Average A level gradeA-46.7 points per entry
A level progress+0.33Against students elsewhere with the same GCSE grades. 0 is average.
AAB or better48%with two subjects universities favour
All sixth-form measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018
Students133142135118352365
Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry46.7143.3044.4148.0042.2243.68
Average A level gradeA-B+B+A-B+B+
Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS47.0243.5344.4848.0642.2243.79
AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects48%38%41%56%33%38%
A level progressA level value added+0.33+0.05+0.43+0.14

A level subjects

19 A level subjects had results in 2025. Each figure is the share of students who got an A* to B, next to the average for state sixth forms in England. When only a handful of students take a subject, its figures jump around from year to year.

Strongest A levels

Business Studies91%A* to B, England 47% · 11 entries
English Literature96%A* to B, England 52% · 24 entries
Geography92%A* to B, England 51% · 12 entries
Government and Politics93%A* to B, England 55% · 15 entries
A levels taught hereThe small number is how many students sat each one in 2025.
SubjectsMathematics74Physics41Biology37Chemistry35Economics27English Literature24Psychology22History20Mathematics (Further)16Government and Politics15Geography12Spanish11Business Studies11Music8French8Art and Design8Physical Education / Sports Studies7Design and Technology (Product Design)7Drama and Theatre Studies5
Every A level subject against England, 2025
Mathematics74 entries · 73% A* or A · 100% passed
88%England 60%
Physics41 entries · 44% A* or A · 100% passed
85%England 51%
Biology37 entries · 57% A* or A · 97% passed
78%England 49%
Chemistry35 entries · 74% A* or A · 100% passed
91%England 53%
Economics27 entries · 67% A* or A · 100% passed
85%England 57%
English Literature24 entries · 50% A* or A · 100% passed
96%England 52%
Psychology22 entries · 41% A* or A · 100% passed
64%England 46%
History20 entries · 40% A* or A · 100% passed
85%England 55%
Mathematics (Further)16 entries · 81% A* or A · 100% passed
94%England 76%
Government and Politics15 entries · 47% A* or A · 100% passed
93%England 55%
Geography12 entries · 75% A* or A · 100% passed
92%England 51%
Spanish11 entries · 64% A* or A · 100% passed
91%England 59%
Business Studies11 entries · 36% A* or A · 100% passed
91%England 47%
Music8 entries · 88% A* or A · 100% passed
88%England 47%
French8 entries · 63% A* or A · 100% passed
88%England 60%
Art and Design8 entries · 63% A* or A · 100% passed
100%England 60%
Physical Education / Sports Studies7 entries · 29% A* or A · 100% passed
86%England 41%
Design and Technology (Product Design)7 entries · 71% A* or A · 100% passed
71%England 38%
Drama and Theatre Studies5 entries · 0% A* or A · 0% passed
0%England 54%

A levels only. BTECs, T levels and other courses are in the table above. Subjects with fewer than five students aren't published.

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. Every gap at this school 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

Average GCSE scoreBoys vs girls
40.842.3
Gap 1.5England 3.0
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

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

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 roll973Census January 2024
Places1,78954% full
Pupils from low-income familiesGet free school meals
Pupils getting extra support24%230 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan0%1 pupil with a plan
Boys and girls559 / 414
How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll9731,1421,2961,3481,2791,295
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals0%0%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support28%24%23%23%16%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans0%0%0%0%0%

What pupils do next

After sixth form

Where the 135 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training88%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers
Still in education, work or training88%92%89%
Education73%81%72%
Apprenticeship2%1%0%
Work13%10%17%
Not in education, work or training5%4%7%

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m71412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate178 per 1,000 people96% higher than the England average
Typical house price£257,500Portsmouth
Nearest bus stop30 mPortsmouth Grammar School, 21 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
St Jude's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England180 m407Good 202419Compare
University of PortsmouthHigher education institutions440 mNot inspectedCompare
Portsmouth High School GDSTIndependent620 m436Not inspectedCompare
St George's Beneficial Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary SchoolChurch of England800 m274No overall grade 202553Compare
Cottage Grove Primary School and NurseryAcademy890 m462Requires improvement 20248Compare
Ark Charter AcademyAcademy960 m883No overall grade 202425Compare
St Edmund's Catholic SchoolRoman Catholic0.8 miles1,157Outstanding 202295Compare
Ark Ayrton Primary AcademyAcademy0.8 miles495Good 202467Compare

Questions parents ask

Is The Portsmouth Grammar School a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score The Portsmouth Grammar School yet.

How good are The Portsmouth Grammar School's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 0% 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 41.5, against 46.8 for England.

How many pupils does The Portsmouth Grammar School have?

973 pupils aged 2 to 19 were on the roll in January 2024. It has 1,789 places, so it is 54% full.

Does The Portsmouth Grammar School have a sixth form?

Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was A-. 19 A level subjects had results in 2025; the full list is in the results section.

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

Contact and details

Address
High Street, Old Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 2LN
Telephone
023 9236 0036
Website
www.pgs.org.uk
Headmaster
Mr Andrew Fisher
Type of school
Independent school (Other independent school, independent schools)
Phase
Independent school, ages 2-19, with nursery, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Local authority
Portsmouth
Ward
St Thomas
Constituency
Portsmouth South
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
30 September 1980
URN
116583 · LAESTAB 8516004 · UKPRN 10005159

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from