Notton House Academy

Notton House Academy is a specialist SEMH school where all pupils have an education, health and care plan, and many have had unsuccessful experiences in education before joining. Inspectors found safeguarding is met and most aspects of the school's work are secure, with personal development and wellbeing standing out as a clear strength. Pupils benefit from a caring, therapeutic environment, a rich enrichment offer, tailored careers guidance and strong preparation for adulthood. Achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance are generally effective. Pupils make progress from their starting points, attendance has improved to national expectations for specialist settings, and behaviour has improved with suspensions used sparingly. The trust and local governors provide effective support and challenge, and staff feel well supported. The main areas for further work are in curriculum and assessment. In some subjects, leaders have not identified precisely the key knowledge pupils need to learn, and assessment is not always used well enough to inform teaching, meaning some pupils can move through the curriculum with gaps. Leaders are also refining how they evaluate the impact of inclusion strategies on pupils' academic outcomes.

Strengths

• Extensive personal development and wellbeing programme is woven into school life.
• Highly effective pastoral and therapeutic support tailored to pupils' needs.
• Strong preparation for adulthood and tailored careers guidance.
• Rich enrichment activities shaped by pupil voice.
• Pupils feel a sense of belonging and are safe.
• Attendance has risen and is in line with national expectations for specialist settings.
• Behaviour is typically purposeful and incidents of poor behaviour have reduced.
• Sharp focus on reading with precise phonics support.
• Inclusion strategies improve pupils' readiness to re-engage and attend.
• Leaders are mindful of staff workload and provide high-quality professional learning.
• Trust and governors share leaders' ambition and provide effective oversight.
• Pupils develop life skills and independence through real-world experiences.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, leaders have not identified precisely the important knowledge pupils need to learn.
• Assessment is not consistently used to inform future teaching, so some pupils have ongoing gaps in knowledge.
• Inclusion evaluations need refining to show a clearer impact on academic outcomes.

In 2024–25, 26.4% of pupils at Notton House 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 Notton House Academy had 3.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.6% 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 Notton House Academy had 55 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; social, emotional and mental health; speech, language and communication needs; autistic spectrum disorder.

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 Notton House Academy received £88,820 and spent £88,597 for each of its 53 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £772,000 (£14,559 per pupil).

Across all 41 schools of Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership, income was £8,730 and spending £8,608 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 Chippenham · Bristol, City of local authority: places and applications

Notton House Academy is part of Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership, which runs 43 schools. The nearest others:

• St Mark's CofE School Bath
• Beechen Cliff School Bath
• Hayesfield Girls School Bath
• St Julian's Church School Bath
• Shoscombe Church School Bath
• Frome Community College Frome
• Peasedown St John Primary School Bath
• Hemington Primary School Radstock
• Selwood Academy Frome
• Trinity Church School Bath

What is Notton House Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Notton House Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Notton House Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Notton House Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Notton House Academy have?

Notton House Academy has 55 pupils on roll.

What age range does Notton House Academy cover?

Notton House Academy for pupils aged 8 to 19.

What are Notton House Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Notton House Academy?

Notton House Academy is at 28 Notton, Lacock, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 2NF.