Fitzwaryn School

Fitzwaryn School is a special school for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, all of whom have an education, health and care plan, and it is part of The Propeller Academy Trust. This full section 5 inspection found a school performing very strongly overall, with safeguarding standards met. Inclusion and personal development and wellbeing are exceptional, while achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, leadership and governance, and post-16 provision are all strong. Pupils feel valued, safe and included in a caring community. Behaviour is calm and respectful, bullying is rare, and attendance improves significantly for many pupils. The curriculum is carefully tailored to individual needs, staff identify and remove barriers effectively, and pupils develop communication, independence and confidence. Post-16 students benefit from a strong work experience and community programme, a comprehensive careers offer, and qualifications matched to their aspirations. Leaders are highly committed to inclusion and work effectively with parents, external agencies and other schools locally. Governance and trust oversight are strong, and staff feel well supported. No major weaknesses were identified. The main next step is for leaders to further refine the quality of teaching so that it continues to enhance pupils’ experiences of school.

Strengths

• Exceptional inclusion that transforms pupils’ experiences and prepares them well for adult life.
• Highly personalised personal development and wellbeing programme building confidence, independence and communication.
• Pupils make positive progress from varied starting points, including disadvantaged pupils.
• Effective attendance work supported by strong relationships with parents and carers.
• Calm, respectful and disruption-free behaviour culture where bullying is rare.
• Well-tailored curriculum and teaching with strong early support for gaps in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Strong leadership and governance with effective trust support and attention to staff workload.
• High-quality post-16 provision with work experience, community programme and careers support.
• Extensive wider experiences including Duke of Edinburgh, trips, visits and musical events.
• Safeguarding standards met within an open and positive culture of safeguarding.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching quality could be further refined to enhance pupils’ experiences of school.

In 2024–25 pupils at Fitzwaryn School attended 90.7% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 23.5% 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, 2.4% of pupils at Fitzwaryn 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 Fitzwaryn School had 8.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.5% 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 Fitzwaryn School had 126 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 2024–25 Fitzwaryn School received £30,633 and spent £29,178 for each of its 125 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,194,000 (£9,550 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of The Propeller Academy Trust, income was £32,441 and spending £30,305 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 Wantage · Oxfordshire local authority: places and applications

Fitzwaryn School is part of The Propeller Academy Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Kingfisher School Abingdon
• John Watson School Oxford
• Woodeaton Manor School Oxford
• Bishopswood School Reading
• Hawthorn Academy Wokingham

What is Fitzwaryn School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Fitzwaryn School is Strong standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Fitzwaryn School last inspected by Ofsted?

Fitzwaryn School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Fitzwaryn School have?

Fitzwaryn School has 126 pupils on roll.

What age range does Fitzwaryn School cover?

Fitzwaryn School for pupils aged 3 to 19.

What are Fitzwaryn School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Fitzwaryn School?

Fitzwaryn School is at Denchworth Road, Wantage, Oxfordshire, OX12 9ET.