Three Ways School

Three Ways School is a special school in Bath where every pupil has an education, health and care plan, many with profound, severe or moderate learning difficulties and complex medical needs. This full inspection found the school performing at a strong standard overall, with inclusion judged exceptional. Leaders are highly ambitious for all pupils, have an exceptional understanding of disadvantaged pupils, and use pupil premium funding effectively to remove barriers to learning and wellbeing; their inclusion model is shared nationally and used by other schools as a benchmark.

Strengths

• Inclusion is exceptional, with a relentless focus on identifying and overcoming barriers to learning
• Leaders understand the needs of disadvantaged pupils exceptionally well and are highly ambitious for them
• Pupil premium funding is used with notable impact to enable disadvantaged pupils to access learning and wellbeing provision
• Strong partnerships across health, social care and the wider community support pupils' complex needs
• Learning targets from EHC plans are developed collaboratively with therapists, agencies and parents and tracked well
• Pupils achieve remarkably well from their starting points, including those with significant, multiple needs
• Attendance is carefully tracked, with early identification of concerns and a supportive yet challenging approach
• A calm, nurturing atmosphere with strong, respectful pupil-staff relationships
• Early years is a clear strength, with high-quality interactions and a highly individualised curriculum
• The early years curriculum supports non-verbal children to build vocabulary and communication through rhymes, songs and story sharing
• Post-16 provision is well structured across three pathways, with a curriculum that is very well taught
• Students benefit from comprehensive careers education and high achievement rates across qualifications
• Personal development and pastoral support are significant strengths, including research-informed interventions
• An extensive enrichment and extra-curricular programme, including performances at Bath Abbey and work in the school café
• Staff report a strong sense of belonging and feel appreciated, with workload and wellbeing considered carefully
• Trustees provide highly effective support and challenge and have a secure understanding of their statutory responsibilities
• The school plays a leading role locally and nationally in outreach for pupils with complex needs
• Pupils behave very well, bullying is rare, and pupils understand and live up to the school values

Areas for Improvement

• Sometimes staff do not check pupils' understanding or prior knowledge routinely, so a small number of pupils do not always build on their learning across the curriculum as effectively as they could
• Teaching should consistently build on what pupils already know so that all pupils develop their knowledge securely over time

In 2024–25 pupils at Three Ways School attended 88.1% 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, 2.8% of pupils at Three Ways School were suspended at least once (nationally 5.1%). One pupil was 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 Three Ways School had 6.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.6% 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 Three Ways School had 258 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 2023–24 Three Ways School received £29,004 and spent £29,258 for each of its 236 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £275,000 (£1,165 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 Bath · Bath and North East Somerset local authority: places and applications

What is Three Ways School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Three Ways School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Three Ways School last inspected by Ofsted?

Three Ways School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Three Ways School have?

Three Ways School has 258 pupils on roll.

What age range does Three Ways School cover?

Three Ways School for pupils aged 4 to 19.

What are Three Ways School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Three Ways School?

Three Ways School is at 180 Frome Road, Odd Down, Bath, Avon, BA2 5RF.