Wyvern Academy

Wyvern Academy is performing well, maintaining the high standards identified in previous inspections. The school adopts a child-centred and family-focused approach, providing excellent pastoral support and a bespoke curriculum that caters to the diverse needs of its pupils. The strong emphasis on communication, early reading, and mathematical skills has enabled students to thrive in a nurturing environment where behavior is commendable. Despite these strengths, there are occasional shortcomings in teaching that do not fully meet the varied learning needs of all pupils, which can hinder overall progress.

Strengths

• High-quality pastoral support for pupils and families.
• Individualized therapeutic approaches that cater to diverse needs.
• Strong focus on communication, early reading, writing, and mathematics.
• Impressive pupil behavior in lessons and social interactions.
• Effective support for pupils struggling with emotions.
• Well-designed and sequenced curriculum.
• Emphasis on developing pupils' independence and life skills.
• Varied opportunities for extracurricular activities enhancing personal development.

Areas for Improvement

• Occasional variability in staff understanding of pupils' engagement assessment, affecting teaching effectiveness.

In 2024–25 pupils at Wyvern Academy attended 89.6% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 32.1% 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, 1.1% of pupils at Wyvern Academy 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 Wyvern Academy had 27.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 78.7% 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 Wyvern Academy had 95 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; 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 2024–25 Wyvern Academy received £34,934 and spent £32,845 for each of its 89 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £516,000 (£5,830 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Southern Education Trust, income was £12,981 and spending £13,303 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 Weymouth · Dorset local authority: places and applications

Wyvern Academy is part of Southern Education Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Harbour School Dorset
• Broadstone First School Broadstone
• Broadstone Middle School Broadstone
• Winton Primary School Bournemouth
• Ferndown Middle School Ferndown
• Parley First School Ferndown
• Ferndown First School Ferndown
• The Harbour School Portsmouth
• The Wymering School Portsmouth

What is Wyvern Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Wyvern Academy is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Wyvern Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Wyvern Academy was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Wyvern Academy have?

Wyvern Academy has 95 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wyvern Academy cover?

Wyvern Academy for pupils aged 2 to 19.

What are Wyvern Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Wyvern Academy?

Wyvern Academy is at Dorchester Road, Weymouth, Dorset, DT3 5AL.