The Wyvern School (Buxford)

The Wyvern School has been rated as good overall, demonstrating a strong commitment to providing a supportive and inclusive learning environment for its pupils with profound, severe, and complex needs. The school's leadership is stable and engaged, having recently transitioned to permanent roles, which has reinforced its ambitious vision for high-quality education tailored to individual pupil needs. There is a vibrant sense of community within the school, with staff going above and beyond to ensure pupils feel safe, respected, and encouraged to express themselves creatively through a variety of arts and personal development programs.

Strengths

• Strong leadership and management with stable permanent roles.
• Effective support for pupils with complex needs through personalized learning pathways.
• High levels of engagement and trust between pupils and staff.
• Robust early years provision helping children settle quickly.
• Significant improvements in sixth-form provision, preparing students for future independence.

Areas for Improvement

• Some staff lack sufficient expertise in phonics, leading to gaps in pupils' reading skills.
• Variability in staff effectiveness when supporting pupils' communication and engagement.

In 2024–25 pupils at The Wyvern School (Buxford) attended 88.7% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 35.8% 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 The Wyvern School (Buxford) 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 The Wyvern School (Buxford) had 8.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 26.1% 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 The Wyvern School (Buxford) had 374 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: specific learning difficulty; moderate learning difficulty; severe learning difficulty; profound and multiple learning difficulty; social, emotional and mental health; speech, language and communication needs; hearing impairment; vision impairment; multi-sensory impairment; physical disability; 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 The Wyvern School (Buxford) received £26,320 and spent £25,685 for each of its 374 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £970,000 (£2,593 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).

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• Secondary Schools

All schools in Ashford · Kent local authority: places and applications

What is The Wyvern School (Buxford)'s Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Wyvern School (Buxford) is Good, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was The Wyvern School (Buxford) last inspected by Ofsted?

The Wyvern School (Buxford) was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does The Wyvern School (Buxford) have?

The Wyvern School (Buxford) has 374 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Wyvern School (Buxford) cover?

The Wyvern School (Buxford) for pupils aged 4 to 19.

What are The Wyvern School (Buxford)'s SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is The Wyvern School (Buxford)?

The Wyvern School (Buxford) is at Great Chart Bypass, Ashford, Kent, TN23 4ER.