Little Heath School

Little Heath School continues to perform well, maintaining its status as a good school. Pupils express enjoyment in their learning and feel supported by staff who work collaboratively to create a safe and caring environment. The school places a strong emphasis on consistent routines and personal development, which is acknowledged as a strength. However, there are areas identified for improvement, particularly in ensuring all pupils are equally prepared for adulthood and in increasing the number of students achieving the English Baccalaureate.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, cared for, and welcome.
• The curriculum is ambitious and well-defined.
• Teachers regularly check and adapt lessons to enhance pupil learning.
• The school provides strong support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Pupils engage in a rich variety of extracurricular activities.
• Mental health and well-being are prioritized and well-supported.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in how feedback is utilized by pupils.
• Low uptake of the English Baccalaureate among pupils.
• Personal development curriculum for older pupils needs further development.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Little Heath School attended 92.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 18.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 7.0% of pupils at Little Heath School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 9 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 Little Heath School had 16.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 17.7% of pupils at Little Heath School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Little Heath School received £7,343 and spent £7,211 for each of its 1,686 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,075,000 (£638 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

All schools in Reading · West Berkshire local authority: places and applications

What is Little Heath School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Little Heath School is Good, from an inspection in January 2024.

When was Little Heath School last inspected by Ofsted?

Little Heath School was last inspected in January 2024.

How many pupils does Little Heath School have?

Little Heath School has 1,682 pupils on roll.

What age range does Little Heath School cover?

Little Heath School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Little Heath School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 48.8, and 49% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Little Heath School?

Little Heath School is at Little Heath Road, Tilehurst, Reading, Berkshire, RG31 5TY.