Southbrook School

Southbrook School is a maintained special school in Devon for pupils aged 11 to 16 with complex needs, including moderate or severe learning difficulties and autism. All pupils have education, health and care plans, and the school is part of the SENitient Trust. This graded inspection found a calm, orderly school where pupils behave well, feel safe and attend regularly. Behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management are strong, and safeguarding is effective. Leaders have begun to raise standards, including through improved attendance and support for staff workload. The main area for improvement is the quality of education. The curriculum has been recently developed and is ambitious, but staff knowledge of it is not yet secure in some subjects. As a result, teaching varies, learning activities sometimes do not match intended outcomes, and some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Assessment information is not routinely used to adapt the curriculum or meet pupils’ EHC plan targets, so pupils sometimes repeat knowledge they already have and have too little time to learn new concepts. Reading is a notable strength, with effective phonics and particularly strong progress for disadvantaged pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils behave well in a calm and orderly environment with established routines.
• Pupils feel safe and attend school regularly.
• Personal development is strong, including outdoor education, careers and independent living skills.
• Reading is a priority, with phonics and reading books well matched to pupils.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve particularly well in phonics and reading.
• Education and therapy staff work together to deliver bespoke personal development programmes.
• Leaders and governors have identified improvement areas and begun raising standards.
• Attendance has improved significantly through careful monitoring and support.
• Staff appreciate improvements to their workload and well-being.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• The quality of education requires improvement because curriculum implementation varies.
• Staff knowledge of the newly developed curriculum is not secure in some subjects.
• Learning activities sometimes do not match intended outcomes or help pupils secure new knowledge.
• Assessment information is not routinely used to adapt the curriculum or EHC plan targets.
• Pupils sometimes repeat knowledge and skills they have already secured.
• Some pupils do not achieve well in some subjects because teaching is inconsistent.
• Curriculum sequencing work is in its infancy, contributing to variation in staff knowledge.

In 2024–25 pupils at Southbrook School attended 93.1% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 20.6% 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, 1.4% of pupils at Southbrook 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 Southbrook 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 Southbrook School had 140 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: moderate learning difficulty; severe learning difficulty; profound and multiple learning difficulty; hearing impairment; vision impairment; multi-sensory impairment; 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 Southbrook School received £28,422 and spent £28,246 for each of its 140 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £809,000 (£5,776 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 Exeter · Devon local authority: places and applications

Southbrook School is part of Sentient Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Ellen Tinkham School Exeter
• Barley Lane School Exeter
• Bidwell Brook School Totnes
• Marland School Torrington
• Pathfield School Barnstaple

What is Southbrook School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Southbrook School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Southbrook School last inspected by Ofsted?

Southbrook School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Southbrook School have?

Southbrook School has 140 pupils on roll.

What age range does Southbrook School cover?

Southbrook School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

Where is Southbrook School?

Southbrook School is at Bishop Westall Road, Topsham Road, Exeter, Devon, EX2 6JB.