Villa Real School

Villa Real School is performing well overall, maintaining a 'Good' rating across all areas including the quality of education, behaviour, personal development, leadership, and early years provision. The school has high aspirations for its pupils and successfully creates an environment where they are encouraged to develop their learning and communication skills. Pupils express a love for school and demonstrate positive behaviours, with strong support from skilled staff. The school is noted for its commitment to meeting the specific needs of its students, including those with SEND, through tailored curriculum approaches. There is ongoing development in the curriculum and teaching practices to further enhance pupil outcomes, particularly in non-core subjects.

Strengths

• Leaders and staff have high aspirations for all pupils.
• Pupils are given many opportunities to be their best.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND through well-planned learning.
• Strong emphasis on developing communication skills.
• Pupils demonstrate positive behaviours and respect towards others.
• Rich and varied curriculum experiences including high-quality trips and visits.
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils that promote safety and wellbeing.

Areas for Improvement

• Further improvement needed in developing pupils' comprehension skills.
• Limited opportunities for writing across the curriculum.
• Inconsistent understanding of non-core subjects among teachers.

In 2024–25 pupils at Villa Real School attended 91.2% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 24.5% 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 Villa Real 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 Villa Real School had 7.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.4% 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 Villa Real School had 125 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: specific learning difficulty; severe learning difficulty; profound and multiple learning difficulty; 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 Villa Real School received £37,198 and spent £35,908 for each of its 125 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £820,000 (£6,590 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 Consett · County Durham local authority: places and applications

What is Villa Real School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Villa Real School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Villa Real School last inspected by Ofsted?

Villa Real School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Villa Real School have?

Villa Real School has 125 pupils on roll.

What age range does Villa Real School cover?

Villa Real School for pupils aged 2 to 19.

What are Villa Real School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Villa Real School?

Villa Real School is at Villa Real Road, Consett, County Durham, DH8 6BH.