The Milestone School

The Milestone School is a special school for pupils aged 2 to 16, all of whom have an EHC plan, and it is part of the SAND Academies Trust. This was its first section 5 inspection; it had previously been inspected under section 8. Inspectors found the school performing well across the board, with effective safeguarding and good early years provision. Pupils attend well, benefit from strong routines and tailored support, and achieve well from their individual starting points. The curriculum has been substantially reviewed and is well structured across pathways, including The Space and early years. Staff have strong subject knowledge, use communication and sensory strategies well, and integrate EHC plan outcomes into bespoke programmes. Behaviour is managed consistently and poor behaviour has reduced. Pupils enjoy a broad range of experiences, careers education and work-related qualifications, and personal development is well supported. Leaders are well led and managed, with strong pastoral support and improved staff communication. The trust has extended leadership capacity, but some monitoring and quality assurance are still developing, particularly where curriculum pathways are newer and in early years. In a minority of subject-based lessons, teaching does not build precisely enough on what pupils already know, which can slow progress and leave misconceptions unaddressed.

Strengths

• Strong routines and high expectations support behaviour and learning from early years onwards.
• Broad, well-structured curriculum pathways meet pupils' SEND and individual needs.
• Staff have strong subject knowledge and use tailored strategies, including visual schedules and sensory resources.
• EHC plan outcomes are integrated into bespoke curriculums and prepare pupils for adulthood.
• Communication and reading are prioritised across all pathways, including phonics.
• Behaviour policy is implemented consistently and poor behaviour has reduced.
• Extensive careers education, work experience and vocational qualifications prepare pupils well.
• Personal development curriculum teaches healthy relationships, safety and emotional well-being.
• Strong pastoral support for families and pupils is a notable feature.
• The trust has extended the leadership structure, increasing capacity to improve.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• A minority of subject-based teaching does not build precisely on pupils' prior knowledge, slowing learning.
• Misconceptions are not always addressed promptly, and some pupils are not moved on when ready.
• Monitoring of policy and curriculum implementation, including in early years, is still being refined after leadership changes.
• Some information the trust expects is not firmly established, limiting evaluation of the school's impact.

In 2024–25 pupils at The Milestone School attended 89.3% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 29.1% 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, 1.6% of pupils at The Milestone School 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 The Milestone School had 6.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.5% 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 The Milestone School had 322 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 The Milestone School received £31,409 and spent £31,417 for each of its 318 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £190,000 (£596 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Sand Academies Trust, income was £17,654 and spending £18,975 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 Gloucester · Gloucestershire local authority: places and applications

The Milestone School is part of Sand Academies Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Tredworth Infant and Nursery Academy Gloucester
• Calton Primary School Gloucester
• Willow Primary Academy Gloucester
• Belmont School Cheltenham
• Battledown School Cheltenham
• Sladewood Academy Stroud
• Paternoster School Cirencester

What is The Milestone School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Milestone School is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was The Milestone School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Milestone School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does The Milestone School have?

The Milestone School has 322 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Milestone School cover?

The Milestone School for pupils aged 2 to 16.

What are The Milestone School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is The Milestone School?

The Milestone School is at Longford Lane, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL2 9EU.