Fox Wood Special School

Fox Wood Special School is a special school in Warrington for pupils with severe learning difficulties, all of whom have an education, health and care plan. The inspection found the school performing at a high level: safeguarding standards are met, attendance and behaviour and inclusion are exceptional, and achievement, curriculum and teaching, early years, leadership and governance, personal development and wellbeing, and post-16 provision are all strong. The school's personalised, inclusive approach is a major strength, with pupils making notable progress in communication and independence and benefiting from excellent pastoral care and preparation for adulthood. The report highlights a settled, ambitious culture where staff, leaders and governors are committed to pupils and families, and where pupils' diverse needs are supported exceptionally well. Attendance is high despite complex medical needs, behaviour is very positive, and pupils enjoy a wide enrichment and careers offer. The main area for development is governance: governors know the school well and provide support and challenge, but their systems are not always systematic, and scrutiny of key areas is not always fed back to the full governing body. The school also runs an early years and Year 1 provision at Sandy Lane, which opened after the previous inspection.

Strengths

• Exceptional attendance and behaviour, with high attendance maintained over several years despite complex medical needs.
• Exceptional inclusion, with seamless multi-professional working and highly effective support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils known to children's social care.
• Strong achievement across varied starting points, including communication, language, social skills and preparation for adulthood.
• Ambitious, well-designed curriculum pathways and highly skilled teaching tailored to pupils' individual needs.
• Strong early years provision at 'fox cubs', with careful transition planning and close partnership with parents and carers.
• Strong leadership and governance, with leaders advocating passionately for pupils and families and staff feeling well supported.
• Strong personal development and wellbeing, including high-quality pastoral care, enrichment, trips and leadership roles.
• Strong post-16 provision, with study programmes matched to students' needs and aspirations and effective preparation for life after school.

Areas for Improvement

• Governors' systems for supporting and challenging leaders are not always systematic.
• Scrutiny by governors of key aspects of the school's work is not always fed back to the rest of the governing body.

In 2024–25 pupils at Fox Wood Special School attended 90.4% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 25.4% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Fox Wood Special 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 Fox Wood Special School had 6.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.4% 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 Fox Wood Special School had 174 pupils, 99.4% 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; autistic spectrum disorder.

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 Fox Wood Special School received £34,077 and spent £29,801 for each of its 174 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,173,000 (£6,742 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 Warrington · Warrington local authority: places and applications

What is Fox Wood Special School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Fox Wood Special School is Strong standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Fox Wood Special School last inspected by Ofsted?

Fox Wood Special School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Fox Wood Special School have?

Fox Wood Special School has 174 pupils on roll.

What age range does Fox Wood Special School cover?

Fox Wood Special School for pupils aged 4 to 19.

What are Fox Wood Special School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Fox Wood Special School?

Fox Wood Special School is at Holes Lane, Woolston, Warrington, Cheshire, WA1 4LS.