Portway Infant School

What Portway Infant School does

Portway Infant School is a UK state-funded infant school located in Derby, England, serving children in Reception (ages 4-5), Year 1 (ages 5-6), and Year 2 (ages 6-7). The school operates within the UK public education system under local authority oversight and delivers the National Curriculum across English, Maths, Science, Computing, Design and Technology, Geography, History, Art, Music, Physical Education, PSHE, and Religious Education. Tuition is government-funded through local authority per-pupil allocation; parents do not pay fees.

The school's distinctive programme portfolio centres on the DfE-validated Unlocking Letters and Sounds phonics programme (validated December 2021), an on-site Forest School led by a Level 3 Forest School leader, and the Zones of Regulation emotional wellbeing framework. Reported outcomes include 94% Year 1 and 98% Year 2 phonics screening pass rates. Extracurricular provision includes the Yogabugs yoga programme for Foundation Stage and a Ukulele Club taught by a specialist instructor. The school is integrated with the Purple Mash educational platform for student learning activities and maintains a Remote Learning resource portal across EYFS, Year 1, and Year 2.

The school employs approximately 10 teaching and leadership staff with designated subject leads across all curriculum areas. Operational communications are managed through the school's website (portwayi.derby.sch.uk), social media channels, email newsletters, and the OFSTED Parent View portal. The school was most recently inspected by OFSTED in September 2023 and is currently operating under a board of governors structure typical of UK state schools. No private ownership, venture capital, or parent company structure exists.

Name

Portway Infant School

Legal name

Portway Infant School

Website

https://portwayi.derby.sch.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Portway Infant School is a UK state-funded infant school in Derby, England, delivering the National Curriculum to children aged 4-7 across Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 through programmes including DfE-validated phonics, Forest School, and Zones of Regulation wellbeing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Infant Primary Education (UK State School)

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Outdoor/Nature/Forest Preschools (EDACABAJ)

Keywords

• Infant education services
• Early years curriculum
• Phonics instruction
• Forest school education
• State primary education

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Portway Infant School delivers free, state-funded infant education for children aged 4–7 (Reception, Year 1, Year 2) following the UK National Curriculum. Its core offering centres on core subject teaching (English, Maths, Science, Computing, Geography, History, Art, Music, Design and Technology, PE, PSHE, Religious Education), augmented by named programmes including the DfE-validated Unlocking Letters and Sounds phonics programme, the on-site Forest School programme, and the Zones of Regulation wellbeing framework. The school also provides extracurricular provision such as Yogabugs yoga sessions and Ukulele Club music lessons, alongside remote learning resources and a structured computing/online safety curriculum.

Product overview

Portway Infant School offers a comprehensive educational programme for children aged 5-7 (Reception through Year 2) centred on its core curriculum spanning English, Maths, Science, History, Geography, Art, Design and Technology, Computing, Music, Physical Education, PSHE, and Religious Education. The school delivers several named educational programmes including the Forest School Programme for outdoor experiential learning, the Unlocking Letters and Sounds Phonics Programme (DfE-validated December 2021), and the Zones of Regulation wellbeing programme. Beyond the core curriculum, the school provides extracurricular offerings including Yogabugs yoga sessions and Ukulele Club music lessons. Technology-enhanced learning is supported through Purple Mash platform access, comprehensive Remote Learning Resources, and a Computing Curriculum emphasising algorithmic thinking and digital literacy. The school also maintains extensive Online Safety Education resources covering modern digital platforms and parental control guidance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Forest School Programme Outdoor learning programme delivered at Portway Infant School by a Level 3 Forest School leader, featuring a trim trail, mud kitchen, water play area, vegetable garden, and fire pit for campfire cooking. It provides cross-curricular links across Science, Art, PE, English, PSHE, Design & Technology, Maths and Geography, and is offered to children in Reception through Year 2.
• Unlocking Letters and Sounds Phonics Programme Systematic DfE-validated phonics programme (validated December 2021) teaching phonemes from Reception through Year 2, covering phases 2–5 including sound recognition, blending, and common exception words. Used as the core early literacy approach at the school.
• Yogabugs Yoga-inspired movement programme for Foundation Stage children during the school day, plus an after-school club. Uses yoga moves to improve concentration, coordination, and imagination.
• Ukulele Club Music lesson programme taught by Scott Walters to Years 1 and 2 on Tuesday afternoons. Each 20-minute lesson culminates in twice-yearly concerts for parents and the wider school community.
• Zones of Regulation Social-emotional wellbeing programme teaching children to identify and manage emotions using four colour-coded zones — Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue — each representing a different emotional state, with dedicated resources, songs, and reading recommendations.
• Remote Learning Resources Digital learning provision for EYFS, Year 1, and Year 2, covering Phonics and Reading, Maths, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Topic, Science, RE, and themed activities, accessible to pupils and parents during periods of remote learning.
• Computing Curriculum Computing education covering algorithms, program creation and debugging, logical reasoning for predicting programme behaviour, digital content creation, and online safety awareness, delivered using the Purple Mash educational platform.
• Online Safety Education Comprehensive online safety curriculum with resources covering social media platforms, gaming, parental control setup guides, and the UKCIS Education for a Connected World framework, supporting pupils and parents across Reception through Year 2.

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% of Year 1 pupils achieved expected standard in Phonics Screening Check
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Ark Schools: National Multi-Academy Trust operating a portfolio of primary schools alongside secondary schools. Comparable as a state-funded K–2/primary provider operating under the same UK regulatory and funding regime, with similar curriculum and inspection obligations.
• Oasis Community Learning: Large Multi-Academy Trust running primary and secondary academies across England. Comparable because it delivers state-funded primary-age education, often with strong wellbeing and pastoral programmes analogous to Portway's Zones of Regulation offer.
• Reach2 Academy Trust: Large national Multi-Academy Trust whose portfolio is dominated by primary schools. Comparable as a fellow state-funded primary/infant education provider operating under the same DfE phonics and OFSTED framework, though at substantially greater scale.
• Greenwood Academies Trust: Multi-Academy Trust operating multiple primary and secondary schools across the East Midlands including Derby. Comparable because it runs state primary/infant schools in the same geography and funding regime, often with similar EYFS/KS1 phonics-led curricula.

Others

• 2Simple (Purple Mash): Provider of the Purple Mash educational platform used by Portway pupils. Comparable as a technology partner whose product is embedded in the school's daily teaching; relevant for understanding the broader EdTech ecosystem Portway operates within.
• Twinkl: Major UK educational resources publisher widely used by primary and infant schools for phonics, EYFS and KS1 materials. Comparable as an upstream supplier whose teaching resources are commonly deployed in schools of Portway's type and age range.
• Forest Schools Education: Training and accreditation body for Forest School practitioners, including the Level 3 qualification held by Portway's Forest School lead. Comparable because it underpins the school's distinctive outdoor-learning programme and represents a key supply-side dependency.

Regional players

• Derby Diocesan Academy Trust: Derby-area Multi-Academy Trust operating a network of church and community primary schools. Directly comparable because it serves infant/primary-age pupils in the same Derby locality under the same DfE funding and inspection regime.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/portway-infant-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Portway Infant School