Lime Academy Hornbeam

Lime Academy Hornbeam continues to be a good school, providing a welcoming and supportive environment for its pupils. The school has established a broad and ambitious curriculum that promotes independence, communication, and emotional well-being, although there are some concerns regarding the clarity of curriculum pathways in a few subjects. Staff are dedicated to helping pupils develop their skills and engage in their learning, ensuring that they feel safe and supported. Additionally, the school has taken effective steps to improve attendance by actively working with parents and celebrating regular attendance among pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils are kind and accepting of others.
• Staff are skilled at providing personalized support to pupils.
• The school prioritizes early reading and matches texts to pupils' phonics knowledge.
• Pupils participate in various extracurricular activities and responsibilities.
• The curriculum fosters pupils' independence, communication, and emotional well-being.
• Leaders are well supported by the trust in refining the school's curriculum.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum thinking lacks precision in some subjects.
• Assessment practices do not consistently identify gaps in pupils' knowledge.

In 2024–25 pupils at Lime Academy Hornbeam attended 87.8% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 40.1% 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 Lime Academy Hornbeam 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 Lime Academy Hornbeam had 7.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.1% 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 Lime Academy Hornbeam had 294 pupils, 100.0% 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; hearing impairment; vision impairment; multi-sensory impairment; physical disability; 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 2024–25 Lime Academy Hornbeam received £31,309 and spent £30,405 for each of its 291 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £725,000 (£2,490 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Lime Trust, income was £16,022 and spending £15,651 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Waltham Forest · Waltham Forest local authority: places and applications

Lime Academy Hornbeam is part of Lime Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Lime Academy Larkswood London
• Lime Academy Ravensbourne Romford
• Lime Academy Forest Approach Romford
• Lime Academy Hartwell Luton
• Lime Academy Orton Peterborough
• Lime Academy Abbotsmede Peterborough
• Lime Academy Parnwell Peterborough
• Lime Academy Watergall Peterborough

What is Lime Academy Hornbeam's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lime Academy Hornbeam is Good, from an inspection in January 2024.

When was Lime Academy Hornbeam last inspected by Ofsted?

Lime Academy Hornbeam was last inspected in January 2024.

How many pupils does Lime Academy Hornbeam have?

Lime Academy Hornbeam has 294 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lime Academy Hornbeam cover?

Lime Academy Hornbeam for pupils aged 2 to 19.

What are Lime Academy Hornbeam's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Lime Academy Hornbeam?

Lime Academy Hornbeam is at Folly Lane, Walthamstow, London, E17 5NT.