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Atlantic Academy Portland

All-through · Portland · DT5 2NA

Data updated

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Needs attention

Report-card inspection (current system, from November 2025)

The headline grade shown is the Achievement area of the school's report card.

Safeguarding: MetCurriculum & teaching: Needs attentionAchievement: Needs attentionAttendance & behaviour: Expected standardPersonal development: Needs attentionInclusion: Needs attentionLeadership & governance: Needs attentionEarly years: Expected standardPost-16: Not applicable

Inspected 24 March 2026 · report published 1 July 2026

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

769 pupils · 75% of 1,020 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy sponsor led
Age range
4–16
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
34.7% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
2.5% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
33.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
5.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
http://www.atlantic-aspirations.org/
URN
145119

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 52 families named it first for 52 Year 7 places, 1.00 first choices per place. At its report-card inspection on 24 March 2026, under the system Ofsted introduced in November 2025, the Achievement area was judged Needs attention. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 7.8% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Reception entry, September 2026

0.95 first-choice applications per place

19 places offered · 18 first-choice applications · roughly balanced

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

1.00 first-choice applications per place

52 places offered · 52 first-choice applications · roughly balanced

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)

36 pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2024/2025

Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths
64%
England 62%
Reaching the higher standard
8%
England 8%
Average scaled score (reading)
104
England 106
Average scaled score (maths)
104
England 105

GCSE results (2024/2025)

78 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
34
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
38.5%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
19.2%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
3.1
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school34
Median of its 12 closest peers39.5
Dorset average42.9
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is behind the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
Tor Bridge HighPlymouth · 73 miles awayExpected standard40.4
St John Henry Newman Catholic SchoolCarlisle · 301 miles awayNeeds attention41
Ellesmere Park High SchoolManchester · 205 miles awayGood45.8
The Telford Park SchoolTelford · 147 miles awayInadequate28.4
Axe Valley AcademyAxminster · 30 miles awayGood39.2
Broadoak AcademyWeston-Super-Mare · 60 miles awayGood38.7
All Saints Catholic CollegeDukinfield · 204 miles awayRequires improvement37.5
Weobley High SchoolHereford · 114 miles awayExpected standard47.8
Staindrop AcademyDarlington · 281 miles awayExpected standard45.6
Rawmarsh Community SchoolRotherham · 208 miles awayNeeds attention38.8
Holsworthy Community CollegeHolsworthy · 86 miles awayGood39.9
King Ethelbert SchoolBirchington · 174 miles awayGood36.8

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 86% (Dorset 87%, England 59%) · Any other White background 6% (Dorset 4%, England 7%) · Not recorded 4% (Dorset 1%, England 2%) · Black African 2% (Dorset 1%, England 5%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Dorset 1%, England 2%) · other groups together 1%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
7.8%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
22%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

58.42 suspensions per 100 pupils and 1 permanent exclusion · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Dorset: 18.66 suspensions and 0.24 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
17.2
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

90% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 4% moved to another state school · 6% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, secondary academies: 0.45% vacant, 0.33% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

78.4% of teachers took sickness absence, 10 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £51,279; 14.6% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£7,205
Typical all-through school£7,789

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for all-through schools in brackets: Staff 85% (78%) · premises 1% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 4% (8%) · supplies and services 9% (9%) · educational supplies 5% (6%) · bought-in professional services 0% (1%) · catering 4% (4%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £0; in-year balance +£652,000

Spending and reserves, last three years Premium

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
91%
Continuing in education
83%
Apprenticeship
7%
Employment
1%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
4/10more deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
6/10around the middle for England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher25%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications15.9%18.1%
In managerial or professional work30.4%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways16.2%18.1%
Residents in very good health39.8%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier82.7%62.3%
Social housing3%17.1%
Privately rented14.2%20.5%
Detached houses34.7%22.9%
Flats4%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms16.4%21.1%
Households with no car or van12.2%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01020566 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£260,00095 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£222,500–£356,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (29)£360,000
Semi-detached (24)£269,500
Terraced (36)£235,000
Flat (6)£153,500

Homes around this school are cheaper than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
0a rural school averages 0.3
Collisions at school-run times
1a rural school averages 0.7
All reported collisions
2a rural school averages 3.4
Of those, serious or fatal
0a rural school averages 0.9

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools