Saxon Hill Academy

Saxon Hill Academy is a special school for pupils aged 2 to 19 with profound, severe and moderate learning difficulties, complex medical needs and physical disabilities. All pupils have an education, health and care plan. This full section 5 inspection under the renewed framework found the school performing at a strong standard across every evaluation area, with safeguarding standards met. The school is part of Shaw Education Trust and has had a new headteacher and new senior leadership appointments since the previous inspection. The report highlights a highly personalised curriculum built around four pathways, strong communication and early reading, and effective preparation for adulthood. Pupils benefit from a calm, caring environment, well-managed behaviour, and robust attendance work that supports pupils with complex medical needs. Post-16 provision is ambitious, with functional skills, vocational qualifications and supported internships. Inclusion, leadership, governance and personal development are all strengths, with effective multi-agency working and strong relationships with parents, carers and staff. No significant weaknesses or areas for urgent improvement were identified. Inspectors' next steps ask leaders and governors to sustain the strong standard across all areas and ensure it continues to have a transformative impact on every pupil. Overall, this is a highly effective school where pupils are well supported to achieve, belong and thrive.

Strengths

• Highly personalised curriculum pathways enable substantial progress for pupils with profound, severe and moderate learning difficulties.
• Communication and early reading are key priorities, and pupils achieve well in these areas.
• Older pupils and post-16 students gain vocational qualifications, functional skills and supported internships.
• Achievement is demonstrated through national accreditations and personalised achievement portfolios.
• Pupils learn in a calm, orderly environment where respect and care are commonplace.
• Staff anticipate anxiety and use sensory breaks, emotion coaching and support plans effectively.
• Attendance is well managed despite complex medical needs, with home visits, online learning and hospital collaboration.
• The curriculum is ambitious and carefully designed across sensory, pre-formal, semi-formal and formal pathways.
• Teaching is well adapted using communication systems, technology, signing and therapeutic activities.
• Assessment captures small but important progress and helps staff plan next steps.
• Inclusion is strong, with detailed knowledge of pupils' needs, effective multi-agency work and well-used funding.
• Leadership and governance are highly effective, underpinned by care, ambition and decisive action.
• Staff receive high-quality professional development, and their workload and wellbeing are managed well.
• Governors provide effective challenge and support and receive clear information about the school's work.
• Personal development is ambitious and includes community visits, enterprise projects and residential experiences.
• Preparation for adulthood is embedded from the earliest years and uses the North Star model to shape pupils' goals.
• Wellbeing support is strong, with improved mental health provision and a mentoring programme.
• Post-16 pathways are flexible, tailored and combine functional skills, vocational qualifications and supported internships.
• Pupils feel safe, enjoy school life and have a strong sense of belonging.
• Parents, carers and staff feel valued, involved and well supported.

In 2024–25 pupils at Saxon Hill Academy attended 80.4% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 59.1% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Saxon Hill 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 Saxon Hill Academy had 7.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.2% 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 Saxon Hill Academy had 130 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: profound and multiple learning difficulty; physical 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 Saxon Hill Academy received £35,186 and spent £33,290 for each of its 132 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £721,000 (£5,485 per pupil).

Across all 30 schools of The Shaw Education Trust, income was £11,108 and spending £10,954 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 Lichfield · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

Saxon Hill Academy is part of The Shaw Education Trust, which runs 30 schools. The nearest others:

• Streethay Primary School Lichfield
• Redhill Primary School Cannock
• Moorhill Primary School Cannock
• Fortis Academy Birmingham
• Pine Green Academy Wolverhampton
• Ivy House School Derby
• Walton Hall Academy Stafford
• St Martins School Derby
• Portland School Stoke-On-Trent
• St Andrew's Academy Derby

What is Saxon Hill Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Saxon Hill Academy is Strong standard, from an inspection in January 2026.

When was Saxon Hill Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Saxon Hill Academy was last inspected in January 2026.

How many pupils does Saxon Hill Academy have?

Saxon Hill Academy has 130 pupils on roll.

What age range does Saxon Hill Academy cover?

Saxon Hill Academy for pupils aged 2 to 19.

What are Saxon Hill Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Saxon Hill Academy?

Saxon Hill Academy is at Kings Hill Road, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS14 9DE.