Cliffdale Primary Academy is a special academy in Portsmouth for children and young people aged 4 to 11.
- Ages 4–11
- 218 pupils
- Ofsted report card (2025)
School details
- Type
- Special academy
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 218 (places for 216)
- Headteacher
- Mrs Nicola Payne
- Part of
- Solent Academies Trust
- Opened
- 1 December 2013
- Free school meals
- 55.5% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Portsmouth
- School reference (URN)
- 139967
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places at schools like this usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask questions
See whether the school feels right and whether it can meet your child’s needs. Our list of questions below can help.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Portsmouth council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- Named in the plan
If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Free home-to-school transport is often part of the arrangement.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Report card, November 2025: Strong standard in every area
Inspected in November 2025 under Ofsted’s new report cards, which grade each area separately, from Exceptional to Urgent improvement, instead of one overall grade.
- InclusionStrong standard
- Curriculum and teachingStrong standard
- AchievementStrong standard
- Attendance and behaviourStrong standard
- Personal development and wellbeingStrong standard
- Early yearsStrong standard
- Leadership and governanceStrong standard
- SafeguardingMet
Since then: School remains Outstanding (ungraded inspection, February 2022).
Contact and getting there
Battenburg Avenue, North End, Portsmouth, PO2 0SN
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- Trafalgar School Mainstream + base · Ages 11–16 · Ofsted: Good 0.5 miles
- The Harbour School Special school · Ages 5–19 · Ofsted report card (2026) 0.9 miles
- The Flying Bull Academy Mainstream + base · Ages 3–11 · Ofsted report card (2026) 1.0 mile
All SEND schools in Portsmouth
By need in Portsmouth: Speech and language (6) · Autism (4) · Moderate learning (4) · SEMH (2)
Questions about Cliffdale Primary Academy
How do I get a place at Cliffdale Primary Academy?
There’s no catchment area or application round. Places usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult Cliffdale Primary Academy. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What ages does Cliffdale Primary Academy take?
Aged 4 to 11, boys and girls.
What is Cliffdale Primary Academy’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in November 2025 at its last graded inspection. Newer inspections no longer give a single overall grade, so read the latest report for the full picture.
Where is Cliffdale Primary Academy?
Battenburg Avenue, North End, Portsmouth, PO2 0SN, in Portsmouth.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.