Westlands Academy

Westlands Academy is a specialist social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) school within Horizons Specialist Academy Trust, serving a small cohort of pupils who nearly all have education, health and care plans and come from an area of well-above-average deprivation. The inspection found a safe, nurturing and inclusive school where safeguarding standards are met and where leaders have been particularly effective in improving attendance and behaviour through tailored, relationship-focused support. Pupils feel secure, behave well over time and are helped to overcome barriers to learning. Inclusion is a notable strength: pupils' needs and aspirations are central, barriers are removed swiftly, and partnerships with families and external agencies are very effective. Leadership and governance are also strong, with a clear vision, robust support and challenge from trustees, and a focus on staff wellbeing. Pupils generally achieve well, leaving with qualifications that prepare them for further education, employment or training, and destinations have improved substantially in recent years. However, not all areas are equally developed. Achievement, curriculum and teaching, and personal development are at the expected standard rather than strong. Inspectors identified two key next steps: teaching in some subjects does not give pupils enough opportunities to revisit and practise key knowledge, so some struggle to retain learning over time; and leaders lack a strategic overview of pupils' participation in the personal development programme, making it unclear whether all pupils benefit fully from the full range of experiences, including cultural and arts provision. Overall, this is a school with significant strengths in a challenging context, with clear priorities for further improvement.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.
• Attendance has improved significantly through tailored support and robust, systematic strategies.
• Pupils' behaviour improves over time in a calm, respectful school culture.
• Staff adapt behaviour approaches effectively for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Bullying and discrimination are rare and dealt with quickly.
• Inclusion is strong: pupils' needs are accurately identified and barriers are removed swiftly.
• Leaders use pupil premium funding effectively, including bespoke provision such as 'the loft'.
• Partnerships with external agencies, families, care homes and social workers are very effective.
• Leaders and trustees share an ambitious vision and provide robust support and challenge.
• Staff wellbeing is central to leaders' decision-making.
• Pupils generally achieve well from varied starting points and many exceed their targets.
• Destinations after 16 have improved markedly over time.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and logically ordered, with effective phonics and reading provision.
• Personal development is well planned, covering statutory requirements and real-life risks.
• Pupils benefit from enrichments such as outdoor education, summer camps and 'SHAPE 50'.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching in some subjects does not provide enough opportunities for pupils to revisit and practise key knowledge.
• Some pupils struggle to retain their learning over time because key knowledge is not revisited systematically enough.
• Leaders lack a strategic overview of pupils' participation in the personal development programme.
• It is unclear which pupils benefit from the full range of personal development opportunities, including cultural and arts provision.
• Achievement, curriculum and teaching, and personal development are not yet at the strongest standard, with room for further improvement.

In 2024–25 pupils at Westlands Academy attended 69.6% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 60.4% 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, 25.3% of pupils at Westlands 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 Westlands Academy had 4.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.9% 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 Westlands Academy had 87 pupils, 97.7% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: 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 Westlands Academy received £30,435 and spent £30,660 for each of its 85 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £375,000 (£4,412 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Horizons Specialist Academy Trust, income was £28,545 and spending £28,434 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 Stockton-On-Tees · Stockton-on-Tees local authority: places and applications

Westlands Academy is part of Horizons Specialist Academy Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Hollis Academy Middlesbrough
• Green Gates Academy Stockton-On-Tees
• Abbey Hill Academy Stockton-On-Tees
• Mo Mowlam Academy Redcar
• Norman Cornish Academy Spennymoor
• The Woodlands Academy Scarborough

What is Westlands Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Westlands Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in January 2026.

When was Westlands Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Westlands Academy was last inspected in January 2026.

How many pupils does Westlands Academy have?

Westlands Academy has 87 pupils on roll.

What age range does Westlands Academy cover?

Westlands Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

Where is Westlands Academy?

Westlands Academy is at Eltham Crescent, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 9RA.