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Willoughby Academy

Special School Ages 2-19 143 pupils Bourne
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Willoughby Academy is an academy special converter in Bourne for pupils aged 2 to 19. It has 143 pupils on roll.

Type Special School / Academy special converter
Age Range 2-19
Religion Does not apply
Address South Road
Bourne
Lincolnshire
PE10 9JD
Phone 01778425203
Reference Number 147414

General Makeup

Number of pupils 143
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 67.13%
Girls: 32.87%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 41.8%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 5.6%

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
1 4 1 5
2 7 5 12
3 9 4 13
4 6 6 12
5 11 5 16
6 8 1 9
7 5 Unknown 5
8 11 3 14
9 6 8 14
10 3 5 8
11 10 1 11
12 4 2 6
13 2 4 6

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 81.1%
White, Other 7%
White & Asian 2.8%
Unclassified 2.8%
African 2.1%
White & Black (Caribbean) 1.4%
Asian, Other 1.4%
Indian 0.7%
Mixed, Other 0.7%

Overall Ofsted Rating
Last Report Date 08 Nov 2023 – no overall grade published for this inspection
Date Report
08 Nov 2023 School inspection
07 Sep 2019 Academy conversion letter
20 Sep 2016 Short inspection
Previously as The Willoughby School
09 Oct 2012 Full inspection:
04 Mar 2010 Full inspection:
12 Feb 2007 Full inspection:
01 Jul 2002 Full inspection

In 2024–25 pupils at Willoughby Academy attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 18.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 35.3%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

20212022202320242025
Authorised absence 10.0%8.7%6.8%5.7%6.0%
Unauthorised absence 0.7%0.6%0.8%0.9%0.3%
Severely absent pupils 3.1%2.7%2.6%0.9%0.0%

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, 5.6% of pupils at Willoughby Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 5.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

202020212022202320242025
Suspensions per 100 pupils 0.00.00.00.75.010.4
Permanent exclusions 000000

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 Willoughby Academy had 7.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.5%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

2020202120222023202420252026
Pupils per adult 2.02.02.12.22.32.32.3
Teachers who left state teaching 0.0%7.2%12.3%36.3%10.1%15.8%–
Teachers who took any sick leave –81.3%82.4%68.2%78.9%42.9%–
Sick days per teacher –8.113.812.78.32.8–

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 Willoughby Academy had 143 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; 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

EHC plan
Autistic spectrum disorder 67
Severe learning difficulty 21
Profound and multiple learning difficulty 16
Speech, language and communication needs 12
Physical disability 11
Moderate learning difficulty 8
Social, emotional and mental health 2
Vision impairment 2
Hearing impairment 1
Multi-sensory impairment 1
Other difficulty or disability 1
Specific learning difficulty 1

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 Willoughby Academy received £29,004 and spent £26,639 for each of its 144 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £517,000 (£3,593 per pupil).

Across all 14 schools of The Priory Federation of Academies, income was £8,686 and spending £8,648 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

202020212022202320242025
Revenue reserve £161,000£367,000£168,000£98,000£192,000£517,000
per pupil £1,654£3,336£1,303£723£1,374£3,593
In-year balance £45,000£192,000-£118,000-£74,000£121,000£341,000
per pupil £457£1,744-£915-£547£866£2,365

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.

Name Distance
Bourne Elsea Park Church of England Primary Academy
Sandown Drive, Elsea Park, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 0WP
0.26 miles
Bourne Abbey Church of England Primary Academy
Abbey Road, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9EP
0.36 miles
Bourne Westfield Primary Academy
Westbourne Park, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9QS
0.88 miles
Thurlby Community Primary Academy
Crown Lane, Thurlby, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 0EZ
1.5 miles
The Edenham Church of England School
School Lane, Edenham, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 0LP
2.76 miles
The Morton Church of England (Controlled) Primary School
Station Road, Morton, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 0NN
2.79 miles
Baston CE Primary School
103a Main Street, Baston, Peterborough, Lincolnshire, PE6 9PB
3.36 miles
Witham Hall School
3.47 miles
Langtoft Primary School
Manor Close, Langtoft, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE6 9NB
4.55 miles
Name Distance
Bourne Grammar School
South Road, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9JE
0.05 miles
Bourne Academy
Edinburgh Crescent, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9DT
0.83 miles
Kirkstone House School
1-6 Main Street, Peterborough, PE6 9PA
3.53 miles

All schools in Bourne · Lincolnshire local authority: places and applications

How many pupils does Willoughby Academy have?

Willoughby Academy has 143 pupils on roll.

What age range does Willoughby Academy cover?

Willoughby Academy for pupils aged 2 to 19.

Where is Willoughby Academy?

Willoughby Academy is at South Road, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9JD.

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