Southam College

Southam College is a large, welcoming secondary school in the Stowe Valley Academy Trust. Inspectors found it performing at a strong standard overall, with safeguarding standards met. Personal development and wellbeing and post-16 provision are particularly strong, while achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance are all at the expected standard. The school serves a large pupil population with below-average free school meal eligibility but well-above-average SEN support. Strengths include a meticulously planned personal development and wellbeing programme, extensive memorable experiences, strong careers education, and a sixth form that is accessible and challenging. Pupils behave well, feel safe, and benefit from positive relationships. Leaders provide effective support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, and governance and staff development are secure. However, achievement is not consistently strong for all pupils. High prior attainers do not progress and achieve as well as the same group nationally by the end of key stage 4, and some teaching activities do not always deepen their knowledge effectively. Attendance is generally close to average, but leaders should continue to improve attendance, especially for severely absent pupils.

Strengths

• Comprehensive and meticulously planned personal development and wellbeing programme
• Strong culture and character curriculum building understanding of fundamental British values
• Wide range of leadership opportunities for all pupils
• Well-matched relationships, sex and health education that helps pupils understand risks and manage mental health
• Extensive memorable experiences, clubs, visits, and activities tailored to pupils' interests
• Comprehensive careers education with extensive employer involvement and appropriate destinations
• Strong sixth form provision with an accessible, challenging, and well-tailored curriculum
• Secure subject knowledge and rigorous checking of understanding in sixth form teaching
• Effective support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, including bespoke sixth form support
• Pupils behave well, are respectful, and disruption is minimal
• Pupils feel safe and understand how to keep themselves safe
• Highly personalised attendance strategies improving outcomes for some historically poor attenders
• Robust systems for identifying needs of vulnerable pupils
• High expectations and effective support for pupils with SEND
• Bespoke wellbeing support space for vulnerable pupils
• Careful tracking of progress, wellbeing, and attendance for vulnerable groups
• Secure leadership understanding of strengths and areas for improvement
• Governors and trustees effectively fulfil statutory duties
• Effective staff development programme and supportive culture

Areas for Improvement

• Variation in progress and achievement for some pupils
• High prior attainers do not consistently progress and achieve as well as the same group nationally by the end of key stage 4
• Some teaching activities do not effectively build on prior knowledge or deepen understanding, especially for high prior attainers
• Attendance, particularly for severely absent pupils, remains a continuing improvement priority

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Southam College attended 90.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 3.1% of pupils at Southam College were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Southam College had 18.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 16.4% of pupils at Southam College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Southam College received £7,148 and spent £7,040 for each of its 1,624 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £819,000 (£504 per pupil).

Across all 13 schools of Stowe Valley Multi Academy Trust, income was £6,523 and spending £6,557 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 Southam · Warwickshire local authority: places and applications

Southam College is part of Stowe Valley Multi Academy Trust, which runs 14 schools. The nearest others:

• Southam Primary School Southam
• Stockton Primary School Southam
• Bishops Itchington Primary School Southam
• Oakley School Leamington Spa
• Temple Herdewyke Primary School Southam
• Myton Gardens Warwick
• Myton School Warwick
• Coten End Primary School Warwick
• Bilton School Rugby
• Kineton High School Warwick

What is Southam College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Southam College is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Southam College last inspected by Ofsted?

Southam College was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Southam College have?

Southam College has 1,637 pupils on roll.

What age range does Southam College cover?

Southam College for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Southam College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 49.9, and 49% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Southam College?

Southam College is at Welsh Road West, Southam, Warwickshire, CV47 0JW.