Theale Green School

Theale Green School is a small, friendly secondary school within Activate Learning Education Trust. A full inspection found safeguarding standards are met and the school is generally performing at the expected standard across curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, personal development, and post-16 provision. Leaders know the school well, governance is a strength, and pupils feel safe, known and supported. The school also has effective inclusion, including a specially resourced autism provision, and pupils benefit from strong pastoral care, careers guidance and enrichment.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils’ attainment at key stage 4 has been below national averages for the last three years, including for disadvantaged pupils.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes remain well below national averages, including in GCSE English and mathematics.
• Attendance remains below national averages overall and is particularly low for disadvantaged pupils.
• Persistent absence is above the national average.
• Teaching does not consistently challenge or extend pupils enough, which weakens impact in some areas.
• Pupils’ recall of key subject vocabulary and ideas is inconsistent in some lessons, limiting deeper understanding.
• The quality and presentation of pupils’ work varies across subjects.
• Some pupils are less confident explaining fundamental British values such as democracy and tolerance.
• Pupils’ knowledge across the personal, social, health and economic education and citizenship curriculum is not consistently detailed and secure.
• Some pupils feel that bullying concerns could sometimes be followed up more quickly.

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 Theale Green School attended 89.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 27.8% 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, 13.0% of pupils at Theale Green School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 7 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 Theale Green School had 16.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.3% 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, 21.3% of pupils at Theale Green School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.6% 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 Theale Green School received £7,948 and spent £8,145 for each of its 808 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £1,736,000 (-£2,148 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Activate Learning Education Trust, income was £8,774 and spending £8,593 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 Reading · West Berkshire local authority: places and applications

Theale Green School is part of Activate Learning Education Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• UTC Reading Reading
• UTC Oxfordshire Didcot
• UTC Heathrow Northwood
• UTC Swindon Swindon
• The Bicester School Bicester

What is Theale Green School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Theale Green School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Theale Green School last inspected by Ofsted?

Theale Green School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Theale Green School have?

Theale Green School has 803 pupils on roll.

What age range does Theale Green School cover?

Theale Green School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Theale Green School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.2, and 35% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Theale Green School?

Theale Green School is at Church Street, Reading, RG7 5DA.