Fort Royal

Fort Royal is a special school for pupils with profound, severe and moderate learning difficulties, including complex medical needs and physical disabilities. All pupils have an education, health and care plan. The inspection found the school performing well overall: safeguarding standards are met, and attendance and behaviour, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development are all strong. Achievement and curriculum and teaching are at the expected standard. The school has a calm, nurturing and positive culture. Pupils are happy, feel safe, attend well and make progress from their starting points. Leaders are ambitious and staff are well trained and supported. Governors provide strong oversight. Early years gives children a flying start, inclusion is effective with EHC plans used well in classrooms, and personal development helps pupils manage emotions and understand safety. The main area for development is consistent use of the school’s agreed signing method. Not all staff are as skilled as they could be, which affects some pupils’ ability to communicate and access the curriculum. Leaders should continue to support staff in this area so that all pupils can communicate and learn as well as possible.

Strengths

• High attendance despite significant medical needs.
• Calm, positive school atmosphere with consistent routines.
• Skilled use of the positive behaviour policy and praise.
• Strong early years provision with a flying start and strong parent engagement.
• Effective inclusion: EHC plans are reviewed and used well in classrooms.
• Specialist support and high-quality training remove barriers to learning.
• Ambitious, passionate leadership with a clear pupil-focused vision.
• Governors provide strong, rigorous oversight and support.
• Highly effective personal development programme covering safety, wellbeing and British values.
• Pupils make progress from their starting points and achieve EHC plan targets.
• Ambitious curriculum with three pathways tailored to pupils’ needs.
• Pupils feel safe, happy and well supported, with trusted adults available.
• Wider experiences, including music, trips and international links, enrich pupils’ learning.

Areas for Improvement

• Some staff are not yet fully skilled in using the school’s agreed signing method, which can limit some pupils’ communication and curriculum access.

In 2024–25 pupils at Fort Royal attended 90.6% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 27.7% 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 Fort Royal 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 Fort Royal had 6.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.0% 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 Fort Royal had 208 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; speech, language and communication needs; 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 Fort Royal received £30,284 and spent £30,059 for each of its 208 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £632,000 (£3,039 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 Worcester · Worcestershire local authority: places and applications

What is Fort Royal's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Fort Royal is Expected standard, from an inspection in March 2026.

When was Fort Royal last inspected by Ofsted?

Fort Royal was last inspected in March 2026.

How many pupils does Fort Royal have?

Fort Royal has 208 pupils on roll.

What age range does Fort Royal cover?

Fort Royal for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Fort Royal's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Fort Royal?

Fort Royal is at Wyld's Lane, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR5 1DR.