Transport and how to find us

Portsmouth High School is located in the heart of Southsea in Hampshire just a five minute walk from the seafront. The school welcomes pupils from a wide catchment area covering Hampshire, West Sussex and the Isle of Wight.

Portsmouth High School offers an easy travel option via the school’s own minibus fleet.

Find out more – our new minibus route to the area east of Chichester is now in operation picking up from Barnham, Fontwell, Westergate, the Shopwyke Lakes area and the city of Chichester. Contact our Admissions Registrar, Mrs Charlotte Thomson, to find out more.

For further information on any aspect of travel to and from school on a daily basis, please contact Mrs Thomson who will be happy to help on 023 9282 6714 or via admissions@por.gdst.net

‘An easy and enjoyable way to travel to school’

My name is Priyanka and I am currently a student at Portsmouth High School. For more than three years, I have been commuting to school every day using the PHS minibus service. I was eleven years-old when I first started using the minibus, and I am now fifteen – safe to say it has been a ‘journey’.

In Year 7, I remember being nervous with the thought of taking the minibus, as I was so used to my parents dropping me off and picking me up from school; however, after my older friend persuaded me to give it a go with her, I have never looked back. Using the PHS minibus to travel every day allows for a safe and smooth transition from home to school. Not only does it enable you to socialise with students from all year groups, it also gives you a great chance to relax and listen to music, or even just sit back and take a short rest – the choice is yours.

Lastly, I would like to mention the minibus drivers. My bus operates ‘Route 3’ and the drivers have been exceptional. Every morning and afternoon, it is lovely to be greeted by my driver, as she is always so friendly and we are able to have informal conversations which is really nice. Overall, my experience with the Portsmouth High School minibus service has been very pleasant, and I recommend it to anyone looking for an easy and enjoyable way to travel to and from school.

School Minibus Routes

Portsmouth High School offers transport provision for pupils using the school’s own minibus fleet. This offers a more personal door to door service with shorter journey times and more direct routes which benefits pupils and parents alike.

Please note there is some flexibility with pick-up and drop-off points so do contact our Admissions Registrar on 023 9282 6714 if you have a requirement in an area not listed below.

Minibus drivers are all Portsmouth High School staff. Younger pupils are assigned a ‘buddy’ to travel with and girls are dropped right at the school door each day giving peace of mind for parents.

There are currently eleven minibus routes in operation in the local catchment area.

Route 1
Collection points at Clanfield, Rowlands Castle and Bedhampton.

Route 2
Collection points at Bosham, Emsworth, Havant.

Route 3
Collection points at Denmead, Horndean.and Waterlooville.

Route 4
Collection points at Droxford and Wickham..

Route 5
Collection points at Chichester and Westbourne.

Route 6
Collection points at Chichester.

Route 7
Collection points at Birdham, Southbourne and Havant.

Route 8
Collection points on Hayling Island and Langstone

Route 9
Collection points at The Hard railway station and Isle of Wight hover terminal.

Route 10
Collection points at Fareham, Shedfield and Wickham.

Route 11
Collection points at Fontwell, Barnham and Shopwhyke Lakes.

Please click on the numbers at the top of the map below to show the 11 different minibus routes currently in operation.

Minibus Route Maps

Show all routes

Journey by rail

There are rail services from Southampton, Fareham, Chichester, Havant and Petersfield. Portsmouth railway station (The Hard) is approximately 15 minutes’ walk from the school. The school minibus collects and drops off pupils at the station daily.

Travelling from the Isle of Wight

Hovercraft on seafront, travel, Private School Portsmouth

Portsmouth High School can easily be reached from the Isle of Wight via the daily hovercraft service run by Hovertravel Ltd. The school is just a five minute walk from the Southsea hover terminal.

Pupils are met in Southsea by a school minibus and driven to the school door where teaching staff take over their care. At the end of the school day the minibus transports girls back to the Southsea hover terminal for their journey to Ryde where they return to the care of their parents and carers.

“I really wanted to go to Portsmouth High School, but I wasn’t sure what the journey would be like, especially for an 11-year-old travelling on her own.”

Read one of our current Year 7 pupil’s experience of her daily journey to school from the Isle of Wight.

Parking

Visitors should be aware that there is limited parking on the school site. Disabled parking spaces are available and visitors are asked to respect the fact that these are intended for use by disabled visitors only. Visitors with a disability are asked to telephone the school in advance to ensure a parking space is available for them.