Ofsted: Good

Portal House School

verifiedData: DfE & Ofsted 2024/25

personMrs Rosemary Bradley

location_onDover, CT15 6SS

phone 1304853033

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2019

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Students

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Attainment 8

13.2

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GCSE Rank

#123 in Kent

#3,963 of 4,663 nationally

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Portal House School is a Community special school school in Dover, serving ages 11-16. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

Portal House School is a community special school in Dover, Kent, admitting pupils aged 11-16. The school has approximately 75 pupils on roll, of whom 69% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 13.2, placing the school #123 in Kent and #3,963 of 4,663 nationally. 0.00% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 1.4% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2019. The school's current overall rating is Good.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 4.6:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 38.9 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: Department for Education 2024/25, Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

13.2

Grade 5+ E&M

0.00%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)1.4%

Entering EBacc0.00%

EBacc APS0.68

2024

Progress 8 Score

-1.82

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

16.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc0.00%

EBacc APS0.97

2023

Progress 8 Score

-2.09

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

15.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc0%

EBacc APS0.89

2022

Progress 8 Score

-2.61

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

18.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc0%

EBacc APS1.2

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc0%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-2.24

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

15.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc0%

EBacc APS0.96

2018

Progress 8 Score

-1.34

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

23.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc0%

EBacc APS1.25

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

70%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)70%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)10%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)84%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)11%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

85%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)75%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment10%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)15%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)89%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

75%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)75%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)25%

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

07 January 2025

Inspection Report

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15 May 2019

Inspection Report

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04 June 2015

Inspection Report

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01 December 2011

Inspection Report

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25 March 2009

Inspection Report

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21 June 2006

Inspection Report

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13 March 2000

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2019-05-15

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2015-06-04

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2011-12-01

None EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

48.0%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

25.3%(19 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 75 pupils. During this period, there were 36 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 48.0%, which is above the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	75	36	48.0%	7.3%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	74	22	29.7%	7.8%
2023/24 (Summer term)	72	11	15.3%	7.4%
2023/24 (Spring term)	71	8	11.3%	7.1%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	70	14	20.0%	8.2%
2022/23 (Summer term)	79	14	17.7%	6.6%
2022/23 (Spring term)	75	15	20.0%	6.4%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	74	24	32.4%	5.9%
2021/22 (Summer term)	80	15	18.8%	4.7%
2021/22 (Spring term)	80	25	31.2%	4.9%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	79	25	31.6%	4.4%
2020/21 (Summer term)	74	22	29.7%	3.6%
2020/21 (Spring term)	67	4	6.0%	1.0%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	67	27	40.3%	3.9%
2019/20 (Summer term)	75	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	75	18	24.0%	3.2%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	71	24	33.8%	4.2%
2018/19 (Summer term)	71	20	28.2%	3.1%
2018/19 (Spring term)	63	23	36.5%	3.8%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	58	21	36.2%	3.8%
2017/18 (Summer term)	59	10	16.9%	3.4%
2017/18 (Spring term)	54	13	24.1%	3.0%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	51	24	47.1%	3.7%
2016/17 (Summer term)	48	15	31.2%	3.0%
2016/17 (Spring term)	47	16	34.0%	3.3%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	46	15	32.6%	3.1%

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 50 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 25 pupils

Portal House School

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

Staffing

Teacher Turnover