Discovery Academy

Discovery Academy is a special academy free school in Sheffield for pupils aged 7 to 16, all of whom have an education, health and care plan, and it caters for pupils with autism spectrum condition. This was its first section 5 inspection, and inspectors found it performing well across the four key judgements. Pupils are described as happy, kind and well supported in a nurturing environment, with strong relationships, clear routines and effective safeguarding arrangements. The school has a broad and ambitious curriculum, reading is central, behaviour is managed well and attendance improves over time. Pupils’ personal development is well catered for, including support with safety, healthy relationships, mental health, careers and a range of enrichment activities. Leadership is reflective and well supported by governors, and staff speak positively about the support they receive. The main areas for improvement are that teachers do not always choose activities that match the ambition of the planned curriculum, so pupils do not consistently build knowledge as well as they could, and writing, including early writing and transcription skills, has not been developed well enough, although work to address this is at an early stage.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, kind and welcoming in a nurturing school environment.
• Strong staff-pupil relationships underpin positive routines and behaviour.
• The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement and carefully assesses needs on arrival.
• Staff use EHC plans well to meet pupils’ learning, sensory, social and emotional needs.
• The curriculum is broad, rich and ambitious, with a shared drive for pupils to succeed.
• Teachers generally have good subject knowledge and check what pupils know and can do.
• Reading is central to pupils’ experience, and pupils gain the skills to become confident, fluent readers.
• Staff have the expertise to help pupils at the early stages of reading to catch up.
• Behaviour is managed well, and pupils can concentrate on their work.
• Attendance is well monitored and pupils attend more frequently over time.
• Personal development is well catered for, including online safety, healthy relationships and mental health.
• Pupils benefit from careers education, assemblies, the Discovery Crew and a range of trips and visitors.
• Staff feel well supported in developing their practice, and leaders are reflective in driving improvement.
• Governors have a clear understanding of the school and provide effective challenge and support.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• At times, teachers do not select activities that match the ambitious planned curriculum, so pupils do not consistently build knowledge as well as they could.
• Some aspects of pupils’ writing are not developed well enough, including early writing and transcription skills such as pencil grip.
• Improvements to writing are in the early stages and pupils’ transcription skills do not improve quickly enough.

In 2024–25 pupils at Discovery Academy attended 90.6% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 27.2% 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, 0.9% of pupils at Discovery 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 Discovery Academy had 8.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.7% 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 Discovery Academy had 121 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 Discovery Academy received £27,699 and spent £26,350 for each of its 108 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £462,000 (£4,282 per pupil).

Across all 18 schools of Nexus Multi Academy Trust, income was £26,093 and spending £25,319 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.

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All schools in Sheffield · Sheffield local authority: places and applications

Discovery Academy is part of Nexus Multi Academy Trust, which runs 22 schools. The nearest others:

• Willow Park School Sheffield
• Seven Hills School Sheffield
• Kenwood Academy Sheffield
• Bents Green School Sheffield
• Lotus Academy Sheffield
• Kingfisher Academy Sheffield
• Kelford School Rotherham
• Abbey School Rotherham
• The Willows School Rotherham
• Hilltop School Rotherham

What is Discovery Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Discovery Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Discovery Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Discovery Academy was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Discovery Academy have?

Discovery Academy has 121 pupils on roll.

What age range does Discovery Academy cover?

Discovery Academy for pupils aged 7 to 16.

What are Discovery Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Discovery Academy?

Discovery Academy is at Park Grange Road, Norfolk Park, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S2 3QF.