Wigston Birkett House Community Special School

Wigston Birkett House Community Special School is performing well overall, demonstrating good quality education and supportive environments for its pupils. The school has high expectations for all students, fostering positive relationships and ensuring that personal development is prioritized. However, it faces challenges in delivering a coherent mathematics curriculum and must enhance oversight of individual education plans to better cater for pupils' diverse needs. This inspection marks the first routine assessment of the school since the pandemic, highlighting the importance of adapting to the unique challenges faced during that time.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy a welcoming environment and feel safe and happy.
• Staff are caring and supportive, understanding pupils' individual needs well.
• Leaders have high expectations and strive for all pupils to reach their potential.
• Curriculum pathways are tailored to students' complex needs.
• Strong emphasis on communication in early years ensures children succeed.
• Effective partnerships provide high-quality careers education for older students.
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils aid in effective learning.

Areas for Improvement

• Mathematics curriculum lacks precise sequencing and does not fully cater to individual needs.
• Inconsistent approach to checking effectiveness of targets in individual education plans.

In 2024–25 pupils at Wigston Birkett House Community Special School attended 88.5% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 28.6% 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, 0.4% of pupils at Wigston Birkett House Community Special 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 Wigston Birkett House Community Special School had 9.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.4% 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 Wigston Birkett House Community Special School had 250 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; 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 Wigston Birkett House Community Special School received £26,103 and spent £25,448 for each of its 252 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,296,000 (£5,143 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.

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• Secondary Schools

All schools in Oadby And Wigston · Leicestershire local authority: places and applications

What is Wigston Birkett House Community Special School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Wigston Birkett House Community Special School is Good, from an inspection in July 2022.

When was Wigston Birkett House Community Special School last inspected by Ofsted?

Wigston Birkett House Community Special School was last inspected in July 2022.

How many pupils does Wigston Birkett House Community Special School have?

Wigston Birkett House Community Special School has 250 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wigston Birkett House Community Special School cover?

Wigston Birkett House Community Special School for pupils aged 4 to 19.

What are Wigston Birkett House Community Special School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Wigston Birkett House Community Special School?

Wigston Birkett House Community Special School is at Station Road, Wigston, Leics, LE18 2DT.