St Edmund's Catholic SchoolArk Charter Academy
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
St Edmund's Catholic School and Ark Charter Academy are secondary schools.
St Edmund's Catholic School scores 80 out of 100 (grade B, strong) and Ark Charter Academy scores 50 out of 100 (grade D, below average). St Edmund's Catholic School is ahead on our composite score.
St Edmund's Catholic School was judged Outstanding and Ark Charter Academy was judged the expected standard.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 56.0 for St Edmund's Catholic School and 39.9 for Ark Charter Academy.
GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at St Edmund's Catholic School (56.7 in 2021-22, 56.0 in 2025-26) and has held broadly level at Ark Charter Academy (38.4 in 2021-22, 39.9 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | PortsmouthSt Edmund's Catholic School | SouthseaArk Charter Academy | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | B80/100Stronger figure | D50/100 | |
| Local ranking | 1st of 11 in Portsmouth Stronger figure | 7th of 11 in Portsmouth | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: OutstandingStronger figure | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Voluntary aided school | Academy sponsor led | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,157 | 883 | |
| Capacity | 1,200 | 900 | |
| Location | Portsmouth, PO1 1RX | Southsea, PO5 4HL | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 56.0 Stronger figure | 39.9 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 64.0% Stronger figure | 32.1% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 86.5% Stronger figure | 54.8% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 222 | 168 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,150 | 917 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 28.3% | 61.7% | |
| English as an additional language | 46.5% | 38.7% | |
| SEN support | 11.1% | 18.4% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.6% | 2.8% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 4.4% Stronger figure | 12.9% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 7.5% Stronger figure | 32.9% | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
St Edmund's Catholic School
Ark Charter Academy
Full profiles: St Edmund's Catholic School · Ark Charter Academy