SCHOOL PROFILE

Portslade Aldridge Community Academy

Secondary Academy sponsor led URN 137063
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,075 Published school capacity
Capacity used 84.7% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

20 January 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Strong standard
Curriculum & teaching Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour Needs attention
Personal development Expected standard
Leadership & governance Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

17 November 2021
Ungraded inspection School remains Good
Published 16 January 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy sponsor led
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Brighton and Hove
Trust ALDRIDGE EDUCATION
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 910 910 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 443 48.7% of pupils
Male pupils 467 51.3% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

31.6%
6.8 pts above England
School 31.6%
Brighton and Hove 23.4%
South East 19.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

7.3%
13.0 pts below England
School 7.3%
Brighton and Hove 14.8%
South East 15.6%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

2.1%
1.1 pts above England
School 2.1%
Brighton and Hove 1.1%
South East 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
81.9%
745
Any other White background
4.2%
38
White and Black African
2.2%
20
White and Asian
1.8%
16
White and Black Caribbean
1.8%
16
Any other Mixed background
1.5%
14
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 26.2% 238 of 910 pupils
5.3 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 26.2%
Brighton and Hove 25.6%
South East 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 21.2% 193 pupils
England 14.8% 6.4 pts above
EHC plans 5.0% 45 pupils
England 6.0% 1.1 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 71
Social, emotional & mental health 69
Specific learning difficulty 50
Speech, language & communication 25
Moderate learning difficulty 16
Physical disability 3

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

42.7 3.5 pts above England
School 42.7
Brighton and Hove 38.1
South East 38.5
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 42.7% England 36.0% 6.7 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 60.9% England 51.4% 9.5 pts above England
EBacc entry 66.7% England 30.6% 36.1 pts above England
EBacc average point score 4.18 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.01 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

11.57%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

5.35 pts higher than England
School 11.57%
Brighton and Hove 7.09%
South East 6.30%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

28.19%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

12.38 pts higher than England
School 28.19%
Brighton and Hove 18.77%
South East 15.75%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

7.05%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

5.24 pts higher than England
School 7.05%
Brighton and Hove 2.28%
South East 1.93%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

84.7% 7.7 pts below England
Portslade Aldridge Community Academy
84.7%
Brighton and Hove
84.6%
South East
95.0%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information