Admiral Lord Nelson School

State school · Mixed · ages 11–16 · no sixth formPortsmouth, Portsmouth PO3school website

Four in five Year 11 leavers stay in education, in line with the England rate; most to a further education college (81%).

Where this school leads
85%

of Year 11 leavers stayed in education · Portsmouth 82% · England 86% · DfE destination measures, pupils who left in 2023

Knowledge sphere of Admiral Lord Nelson School: fields of knowledge mapped by the subjects taken here, by ISCED levelLanguage & Communication · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Language & Communication · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 66%Language & Communication · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 39%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Natural Sciences · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 39%Natural Sciences · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 8%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 34%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Health & Safety · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 47%Health & Safety · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Business & Administration · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 2%Business & Administration · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 3%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 10%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 19%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Transversal Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 22%Transversal Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 41%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%LanguageMathsScienceICTEngineeringHealthBusinessLawSocialArtsTransversalGreen
Ofsted
Report card
Places
—
Pupils
1,245
Free school meals
28.2%

Ofsted: Inspected 9 June 2026 · report. Places: the last distance at which places were offered is not on file (it comes from Portsmouth’s allocation statistics). Pupils: of 1,250 places. Free school meals: pupils eligible, a measure of family income.

Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Admiral Lord Nelson School (URN 116476, until 1 April 2014).

After Year 11 · age 16

Where do pupils go at 16?

85%stayed in education after Year 11
This school85%
Portsmouth82%
England86%

DfE Key Stage 4 destination measures · 212 pupils who left Year 11 in 2023

Admiral Lord Nelson School has no sixth form. Of the 212 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 1% moved to a sixth form college, 81% to a further education college and 3% started an apprenticeship.

Stayed in education — counted only if the pupil was still there for two terms of the next year; apprenticeships and jobs are counted the same way.

Full breakdown11
MeasureAdmiral Lord Nelson SchoolPortsmouthEngland
Pupils in the cohort2122,031607,348
Any sustained destination91%88%92%
Stayed in education85%82%86%
— school sixth form3%3%34%
— sixth form college1%5%13%
— further education college81%72%37%
— other education0%2%2%
Apprenticeship3%3%3%
Employment3%3%3%
No sustained destination7%8%6%
Destination unknown2%4%3%
GCSE · Year 11 · 2025

How do GCSE results compare?

40.4Attainment 8 score, out of 90
This school40.4
Portsmouth39.5
England46.1

Attainment 8 — average GCSE points across eight subjects, English and maths counted twice; grade 5 in everything scores 50.

DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · 241 pupils in Year 11

28% of pupils here are disadvantaged (England 28%). Disadvantaged pupils here scored 28.1 — below disadvantaged pupils across England (34.9).

34% got grade 5 or above in both English and maths (Portsmouth 35%, England 45%).

Grade 5 — a “strong pass”; grade 4 is a “standard pass”. Progress 8 is not published for 2025: this cohort had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020–21, so there is no baseline.

All GCSE measures10
MeasureAdmiral Lord Nelson SchoolPortsmouthEngland
Attainment 8 (average points per pupil)40.439.546.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths34%35%45%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths60%56%65%
Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects77%42%41%
EBacc average point score3.753.504.09
Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort28%39%28%
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils28.129.834.9
Attainment 8 — other pupils45.245.650.4
Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2)———
English as an additional language9%19%19%
Subjects · 2025

What do pupils study?

63.43%of the Key Stage 3 and GCSE curriculum mapped by the subjects taken here

Mapped — the share of the 2,029 learning outcomes the Department for Education sets for these stages that the subjects taken here cover, weighted by how many pupils take each.

DfE subject entries 2025 · curriculum catalogue by sch.today

Statistics stands out at GCSE — 44% of the year group took it, against 5% across England.

Language & Communication66%
Health & Safety47%
Green & Sustainability41%
Natural Sciences39%
Mathematics & Statistics39%

Fields of knowledge — twelve fields the curriculum catalogue sorts every learning outcome into; the bars show the GCSE and A level ring.

GCSE subjects24

Entries as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEnglandGrades 7–9EnglandGrades 4–9
Mathematics240100%88%11%22%67%
English Language240100%89%12%20%63%
English Literature23497%86%12%21%65%
Combined Science18778%65%6%9%48%
History16669%41%17%26%57%
Statistics10744%5%8%20%79%
German9238%5%7%33%52%
French9238%18%8%29%36%
Physical Education8736%11%0%24%30%
Sociology8435%4%14%21%56%
Geography5724%41%9%25%51%
Food Preparation and Nutrition5222%8%2%21%40%
Biology4720%23%11%45%74%
Fine Art4720%9%6%28%55%
Chemistry4519%23%11%47%73%
Physics4519%23%9%46%71%
Psychology4418%3%7%22%55%
Computer Science3715%13%5%30%51%
3D Design3715%2%0%16%0%
Photography3414%6%3%19%44%
Graphic Communication2310%1%0%23%26%
Spanish187%19%6%27%39%
Classical Civilisation177%1%18%40%65%
Polish10%1%—84%—
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications6
SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Multimedia49——
Childcare Skills34——
Music performance: Group19——
Computer Appreciation / Introduction16——
Speech and Drama15——
Dance: General7——
Fields of knowledge, all stages12
Language & Communication73%
Health & Safety56%
Green & Sustainability52%
Natural Sciences51%
Mathematics & Statistics46%
Engineering & Manufacturing39%
Transversal Skills34%
Arts & Humanities27%
Digital & ICT Skills22%
Social & Cultural Skills14%
Law & Public Administration10%
Business & Administration5%

Ideas pupils meet most, weighted by the share of the cohort taking the subjects that teach them:

fraction 16.1percentage 10.9ratio 10.5vocabulary 10.5translation 8.7gradient 8.6power 8.4equation 7.4reflection 7.3particle model 7.1root 7.0grammar 7.0audience 6.7evidence 6.6standard form 6.3purpose 6.3energy transfer 6.2context 6.1formulae 6.0area 5.9impact 5.9inference 5.7theme 5.6change of state 5.4

Coverage counts a subject’s outcomes in proportion to the share of the cohort entered for it; Combined Science counts as two thirds of the three separate sciences. Levels follow ISCED 2011 as UNESCO maps it for the UK: Key Stage 3 is ISCED 2; GCSE and A level are both ISCED 3. Methodology: about the data.

Careers

Which jobs use what’s taught here?

12apprenticeship standards closely match the subjects pupils take

A match of what’s taught, not of entry requirements: the standards whose knowledge and skills share the most ideas with the GCSEs and A levels taken here, weighted by how many pupils take each subject.

Level 3 / Level 6 — England’s qualification levels: 3 is A level standard, 4–5 are higher apprenticeships, 6 is a bachelor’s degree.

Skills England apprenticeship standards (Open Government Licence v3.0) · ESCO occupations, © European Union, matched by sch.today · how the match works

Water industry asset maintenance technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses ratio, unit conversion, area from Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science and 8 more · jobs: consumer electronics repair technician, industrial electrician, electrician
Process industry manufacturing technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses pressure, conservation of mass, energy change from Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and 4 more · jobs: chemical engineering technician, chemical manufacturing quality technician, chemical production manager
ScientistLevel 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses conclusion, data interpretation, sampling technique from Biology, Chemistry, Geography and 4 more · jobs: physicist, analytical chemist, geneticist
More apprenticeships9
Geoscientist (integrated degree)Level 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses data interpretation, climate change, data collection from Biology, Chemistry, Geography and 4 more · jobs: geologist, geological engineer, exploration geologist
Science manufacturing technician 2023Level 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses unit conversion, graph, pressure from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and 3 more · jobs: pharmaceutical engineer, chemical manufacturing quality technician, pharmacy technician
Data technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · digital · uses mean, integer, qualitative data from Computer Science, English Language, Geography and 7 more · jobs: data analyst, database administrator, data scientist
Battery manufacturing technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses area, unit conversion, volume from Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and 2 more · jobs: battery test technician
Storyboard artistLevel 7 degree apprenticeship · creative and design · uses presentation, accuracy, interpretation from Art and Design, English Language, Geography and 5 more · jobs: storyboard artist
Artificial intelligence (AI) data specialistLevel 7 degree apprenticeship · digital · uses presentation, reliability, experimental design from Biology, Computer Science, English Language and 6 more · jobs: ICT intelligent systems designer
Junior visual effects - VFX artist or assistant technical director - ATDLevel 4 (higher) apprenticeship · creative and design · uses scale, data collection, colour from Art and Design, Chemistry, Computer Science and 5 more · jobs: 3D modeller, technical director, animation layout artist
Peer workerLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · health and science · uses power, culture, accuracy from Mathematics, Modern Foreign Language, Physical Education and 5 more · jobs: social work assistant
Production assistant - screen and audioLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · creative and design · uses spelling, punctuation, grammar from English Literature, English, Modern Foreign Language · jobs: factory hand, supply chain assistant, management assistant
Admissions

How do you get a place?

The last distance at which Admiral Lord Nelson School offered Year 7 places is not yet on file; it comes from Portsmouth’s allocation statistics.

  1. 31 OctApply to Portsmouth in Year 6 for a Year 7 place
  2. 1 MarNational Offer Day
Portsmouth

Compare with nearby schools

Stayed in education at 16 · Attainment 8 · pupils

Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.