Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy

Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy is a special school for pupils with complex needs, speech, language and communication difficulties, and autism. All pupils have education, health and care plans, and the school serves an area of well above average deprivation. It is part of Inspire Connected Communities Trust. Safeguarding standards are met. Inspectors found the school performing strongly in most areas, with attendance, behaviour, curriculum, early years, inclusion, and leadership and governance all notable strengths. Pupils are calm, feel safe and valued, and benefit from warm relationships with skilled staff. The curriculum is ambitious and well adapted to pupils’ starting points and complex needs, and teaching is consistently aligned with leaders’ intentions. Early years provision is a particular strength, with high-quality interactions and a strong focus on communication and emotional security. Inclusion is highly effective, and leaders know pupils and families well. Governance provides effective support and challenge. Some areas remain at expected standard rather than strong. Achievement is broadly appropriate, but leaders need to demonstrate progress over time across different curriculum pathways and subjects more clearly. Personal development and wellbeing are coherent and well received, but enrichment does not consistently stretch pupils’ interests and talents and practical barriers can limit participation. Leaders are reflective and well placed to address these next steps.

Strengths

• Attendance is securely above the national average for comparable settings and persistent absence is reducing.
• Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are positive in a calm, orderly and relational environment.
• The curriculum is ambitious and precisely sequenced to meet pupils’ complex needs and starting points.
• Teaching is consistently aligned with curriculum intentions and well adapted for pupils with SEND.
• Early years provision is a clear strength, with high-quality interactions and a strong focus on communication and emotional security.
• Inclusion is highly effective; pupils’ individual needs are identified and met quickly and consistently.
• Leadership and governance are purposeful, reflective and provide effective support and challenge.
• Safeguarding arrangements meet requirements and there is an open culture of safeguarding.
• Staff know pupils exceptionally well and use effective communication strategies.
• Pupils feel safe, valued and a strong sense of belonging.

Areas for Improvement

• Progress over time across different curriculum pathways and subjects is not yet demonstrated with enough clarity.
• Enrichment does not consistently stretch pupils’ interests and talents, and practical barriers can limit participation.
• Leaders’ evaluation of achievement across curriculum pathways needs further refinement.
• Personal development and wellbeing require more precise evaluation of participation and impact.

In 2024–25 pupils at Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy attended 90.6% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 26.4% 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, 1.7% of pupils at Warren Wood - A Specialist 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 Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy had 10.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.5% 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 Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy had 132 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 Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy received £21,752 and spent £20,910 for each of its 118 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £410,000 (£3,471 per pupil).

Across all 4 schools of Inspire Connected Communities Trust, income was £22,136 and spending £20,982 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 Gainsborough · Lincolnshire local authority: places and applications

Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy is part of Inspire Connected Communities Trust, which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• Aegir - A Specialist Academy Gainsborough
• St Lawrence School Horncastle
• St Bernard's School Louth

What is Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy have?

Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy has 132 pupils on roll.

What age range does Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy cover?

Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy?

Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy is at Middlefield Lane, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, DN21 1PU.