Briarwood School

Briarwood School is an all-through community special school in East Bristol for pupils aged 3 to 19 with severe and profound learning difficulties, complex needs, autism and sensory impairment. All pupils have an education, health and care plan, and provision is spread across three sites, including the Nexus Centre for pupils with challenging behaviour. This graded inspection found the school to be highly effective across its work, with pupils safe, calm, well understood and clearly thriving in a carefully structured environment. The curriculum is ambitious, realistic and broken into very small steps, with learning closely matched to pupils' communication and learning needs. Staff know pupils well, work closely with families and other agencies, and use effective systems to check learning and attendance. Pupils enjoy reading, benefit from a wide range of enrichment and personal development opportunities, and in the sixth form are well prepared for work and next steps. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, staff feel well supported, and leaders and governors are described as determined and not complacent. There were no significant concerns identified in the report. The early years provision was not judged because too few children were attending at the time of inspection. Overall, the school demonstrates strong practice across education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, secure and understood in a calm and orderly school.
• Staff warmly welcome pupils and use consistent, safe routines.
• The curriculum is clear, ambitious and broken into tiny, detailed steps.
• Learning pathways are bespoke and closely matched to pupils' communication and learning needs.
• Staff are determined to understand and overcome pupils' barriers to learning.
• Pupils are well supported to develop essential reading, writing and mathematics skills.
• Close partnership working helps pupils achieve relevant qualifications where possible.
• Stories and sensory experiences help key stage 1 pupils engage with reading.
• The library provides accessible reading materials that encourage pupils to enjoy books.
• Personal development is supported through visits, clubs and activities such as sing-and-sign choir.
• Sixth-form pupils develop independence and are well prepared for the world of work.
• The school advocates strongly for pupils and secures workplace experiences and career support.
• Duke of Edinburgh's Award activities, including residentials, build pupils' confidence.
• Systems for checking how well pupils learn the curriculum are particularly effective.
• Pastoral and academic teams collaborate closely to understand every pupil.
• The school works positively with parents and carers and a wide range of agencies.
• Staff report high satisfaction with the support they receive and with professional development.
• The Nexus Centre supports pupils very effectively to manage anxieties and communicate with peers.
• Governors and leaders continually review and check quality.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

In 2024–25 pupils at Briarwood School attended 86.4% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 42.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 35.3%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.6% of pupils at Briarwood School were suspended at least once (nationally 5.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Briarwood School had 5.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.5%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26 Briarwood School had 167 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: severe learning difficulty; profound and multiple learning difficulty; speech, language and communication needs; hearing impairment; vision impairment; multi-sensory impairment; physical disability; autistic spectrum disorder; other difficulty or disability.

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded special school schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Briarwood School received £50,346 and spent £47,656 for each of its 167 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £763,000 (£4,572 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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What is Briarwood School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Briarwood School is Outstanding, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Briarwood School last inspected by Ofsted?

Briarwood School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Briarwood School have?

Briarwood School has 167 pupils on roll.

What age range does Briarwood School cover?

Briarwood School for pupils aged 3 to 19.

What are Briarwood School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 0% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Briarwood School?

Briarwood School is at Briar Way, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 4EA.