Local area: Portishead Central
Local authority: North Somerset
Portishead Central in North Somerset Early years summary
Summary
Portishead Central (E02003065) is part of North Somerset local authority (view on map). Portishead Central has an approximate population of 9,800 people, of which 5.4% are children 5 years old and under. It is classified as "urban: nearer to a major town or city".
Portishead Central neighbours Shirehampton & Avonmouth, Portishead Redcliffe, Portishead South, and Long Ashton & Gordano.
Headlines for early years in North Somerset
The data below is only available at local authority level
- 3.3% of pupils are receiving SEN support in state-funded settings in North Somerset compared to 4.5% nationally. This places it among the bottom 10% of areas with pupils receiving support
- In North Somerset, 100% of the funded places for 4-year-olds have been taken up, which is higher than the national at 92%. This places it among the top 10% of areas
Guidance and data sources
Local area pages are based on the middle-layer super output areas (MSOAs) distributed across the country. MSOAs comprise between 2,000 and 6,000 households and have a resident population of, generally, between 5,000 and 15,000 people. MSOAs fit within local authorities. For each area, descriptive statistics are compared with local authority and national averages. For more information about MSOAs, please visit the Office for National Statistics website.
The data displayed is sourced from:
Deprivation
Portishead Central is the 9th least deprived area in North Somerset (out of 26) with 19% of children living in low-income families, compared to 25% across North Somerset and 38% nationally.
Provider information
Registered childcare providers
Portishead Central has 13 registered childcare providers.
| Type | Number in Portishead Central |
|---|---|
| All childcare providers | 13 |
| Childminders | 7 |
| Pre-school/day nursery/out-of-school care | 6 |
There have been no inspections of childcare providers in Portishead Central since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.
Summary of Ofsted findings
Summary of Ofsted findings
Inspection of North Somerset’s local authority children’s services
These inspections focus on the effectiveness of local authority services and arrangements:
- to help and protect children, and enable families to stay together and get the help they need
- the experiences and progress of children in care wherever they live, including those children who return home
- the arrangements for permanence for children who are looked after, in stable, loving homes, including adoption
- the experiences and progress of care leavers.
| Inspection type | Inspection start date | Overall effectiveness | Impact of leaders | Help and protection | Children in care | Care leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ILACS Standard Inspection | 13 March 2023 | Requires improvement to be good | Requires improvement to be good | Requires improvement to be good | Requires improvement to be good | Good |
Area SEND inspection of North Somerset Local Area Partnership
The purpose of an area SEND inspection is to:
- provide an independent, external evaluation of the effectiveness of the local area partnership’s arrangements for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
- where appropriate, recommend what the local area partnership should do to improve the arrangements.
| Inspection outcome |
|---|
|
North Somerset local area partnership has not yet been inspected under the current area SEND framework. |
Joint targeted area inspection of North Somerset local authority
The agencies for these inspections can include the police, children’s social care, probation services, education and relevant health services. Inspectors will also evaluate how local agencies work with education and childcare providers. The focus of these inspections is how effectively the local safeguarding partners work together at the practice and strategic levels.
| Theme | Inspection start date | Link |
|---|---|---|
| There have been no JTAI inspections for this local authority. | ||
Early years population
Contents
Percentage of Portishead Central population by age group
Table showing percentage of Portishead Central population by age group
| % in Portishead Central | % in North Somerset | % National | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 5 and under | 5.4% | 5.8% | 6.4% |
| Under 1 year | 0.8% | 0.8% | 1.0% |
| 1 year | 0.8% | 0.9% | 1.0% |
| 2 years | 0.9% | 1.0% | 1.1% |
| 3 years | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.1% |
| 4 years | 0.9% | 1.0% | 1.1% |
| 5 years | 1.0% | 1.1% | 1.1% |
Local authority context
Early years pupil premium
In North Somerset, 3.7% of children are receiving the early years pupil premium, compared to 5.1% nationally.
Children looked after
The percentage of 'children looked after' in North Somerset is 0.7% for under 1 year olds and 0.6% for 1 to 4 year olds. The national average is 0.6% for under 1 year olds and 0.4% for 1 to 4 year olds.
Contents
Table showing percentage of children looked after in North Somerset
| Number in North Somerset | % in North Somerset | % National | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children looked after (under 1 year) | 13 | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Children looked after (aged 1 to 4 years) | 48 | 0.6% | 0.4% |
Percentage of children looked after in North Somerset
Special educational needs and disabilities in state-funded schools
This data is taken from the school census data for children aged 5 and under with special educational needs and disabilities in state-funded settings.
In North Somerset, 3.3% of children aged 5 and under receive SEN support in state-funded settings and 1.5% have an EHC plan, compared to 4.5% and 1.4% nationally.
3.3% of pupils are receiving SEN support in state-funded settings in North Somerset compared to 4.5% nationally. This places it among the bottom 10% of areas with pupils receiving support.
Contents
Percentage of children with SEND in state-funded settings by age group
Table showing percentage of children with SEND in state-funded settings by age group
| Number in North Somerset | % in North Somerset | % National | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (age 5 and under) | 424 | 3.3% | 4.5% |
| Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (under 2 years) | 5 | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (3 years) | 29 | 1.3% | 3.7% |
| Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (4 years) | 136 | 6.0% | 9.2% |
| Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (5 years) | 254 | 10% | 12% |
| Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (age 5 and under) | 201 | 1.5% | 1.4% |
| Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (under 2 years) | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (3 years) | 1 | 0% | 0.3% |
| Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (4 years) | 85 | 3.7% | 3.1% |
| Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (5 years) | 115 | 4.6% | 4.8% |
Education, health and care plans
This data is taken from the local authority level data for children aged 5 and under issued with an education, health and care (EHC) plan in North Somerset.
In North Somerset, 1.7% of children aged 5 and under have an EHC plan, compared to 1.6% nationally.
Contents
Percentage of children with an EHCP in North Somerset by age group
Table showing percentage of children with an EHCP in North Somerset by age group
| Number in North Somerset | % in North Somerset | % National | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total: Children with an EHCP (age 5 and under) | 220 | 1.7% | 1.6% |
| Total: Children with an EHCP (under 2 years) | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| Total: Children with an EHCP (3 years) | 14 | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Total: Children with an EHCP (4 years) | 91 | 4.0% | 3.4% |
| Total: Children with an EHCP (5 years) | 115 | 4.6% | 5.0% |
Early years funded takeup
In North Somerset, take-up of funded early years places is 75% for 2-year-olds, 92% for 3-year-olds, and 100% for 4-year-olds, compared to 72%, 88%, and 93% nationally.
In North Somerset, 100% of the funded places for 4-year-olds have been taken up, which is higher than the national at 92%. This places it among the top 10% of areas.
Contents
Percentage of eligible children taking up funded early years places
Table showing percentage of eligible children taking up funded early years places
| Funded early years places for 2-year-olds | Number of eligible 2-year-olds | % of population aged 2 | % take-up of funded places |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Somerset | 313 | 15% | 75% |
| National | 119,598 | 19% | 72% |
| Funded early years places for 3-year-olds | Number of eligible 3-year-olds | % of population aged 3 | % take-up of funded places |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Somerset | All 3-year olds are eligible | 92% | |
| National | 88% | ||
| Funded early years places for 4-year-olds | Number of eligible 4-year-olds | % of population aged 4 | % take-up of funded places |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Somerset | All 4-year olds are eligible | 100% | |
| National | 93% | ||
The 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old funded places tables look different because they measure different things; funded places for 2-year-olds are only for children considered to be disadvantaged, while for 3- and 4-year-olds everyone is entitled to a funded place.
Why these numbers might look odd for the 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old funded take-up charts and tables
All 3- and 4-year-olds are eligible for funded places. Values over 100% are due to falling birth rates, which reduced the overall population more than the number registered for a place. A percentage above 100% shows very high take-up. In other words, more children are registered than the population estimate suggests exist.
Children's overweight and obesity
In North Somerset, 23% of reception-age children are overweight or obese, compared to 24% nationally.
Contents
Percentage of reception-age children overweight or obese
Table showing percentage of reception-age children overweight or obese
| Number in North Somerset | % in North Somerset | % National | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children's overweight and obesity (reception-age children) | 460 | 23% | 24% |
Oral health
In North Somerset, 26% of children aged 5 have visible tooth decay (oral health issues) compared to 22% nationally.
Contents
Percentage of 5-year-olds with visible tooth decay
Table showing percentage of 5-year-olds with visible tooth decay
| Number examined in North Somerset | % examined in North Somerset | % in North Somerset | % National | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral health (visible tooth decay in 5-year-olds) | 219 | 9.4% | 26% | 22% |