Penn Hall School

Penn Hall School is a special school for pupils aged 3 to 19 with a range of special educational needs and disabilities, including autism, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties. Inspectors found the school performing strongly overall: attendance and behaviour, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing are all strong, and safeguarding requirements are met. Pupils are happy, safe and rarely absent, relationships are positive, and the school provides a bespoke, highly inclusive environment. Achievement, curriculum and teaching, and post-16 provision are at the expected standard. Pupils generally achieve well from their starting points, communication is a notable strength, and students are prepared for adulthood, further education and employment. However, inconsistencies in curriculum delivery and occasional gaps in teachers' subject knowledge mean some pupils and post-16 students do not achieve as consistently well as they could. Leaders should address these inconsistencies and continue expanding the qualification offer. The school is part of Amethyst Academies Trust and has appointed a new headteacher since the predecessor school's last inspection; numbers on roll have increased significantly. This context matters because the school has sustained strong provision while growing and developing its curriculum.

Strengths

• Highly positive relationships between staff and pupils built on trust, respect and kindness
• Calm, safe and predictable environment where pupils thrive
• Attendance consistently above the national average for specialist settings
• Strong work to remove barriers to attendance and support families swiftly
• Partnership with community paediatricians reduces time pupils spend away from school for medical appointments
• Regular and highly effective training ensures staff understand pupils' differing SEND
• Highly individualised support enables pupils to access the whole curriculum
• Pupil premium strategy supports disadvantaged pupils to achieve the same academic and personal success as their peers
• Clear and compelling vision shared by leaders, trustees and governors
• Purposeful and rigorous governance with robust accountability
• Strong staff wellbeing and workload management, with extensive professional development
• Collaboration across trust schools and the local authority is a notable strength
• Carefully designed personal development programme prepares pupils for adulthood
• Successful and extensive careers programme helps pupils make decisions about next steps
• No barriers to participation caused by disability or socioeconomic background, including residential trips
• Strong focus on staying safe, including online safety and healthy relationships
• Communication development is a strength, with pupils empowered to express themselves through speech, sign, symbols or assistive technology
• Ambitious and broad curriculum offering a wider range of qualifications, including GCSEs
• Staff are particularly skilled at adapting learning to pupils' needs and incorporating EHC plan targets
• Phonics and early mathematics are taught successfully and consistently well
• Post-16 provision is inclusive and prepares students for adulthood, further education and employment
• Careers education is a particular feature of post-16 provision, with independent and tailored guidance
• Pupils run Raphael's Tea Rooms, which is open to the public
• Pupils are proud, engaged and rarely absent, with highly positive behaviour

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in curriculum delivery mean some pupils do not achieve as well as they could
• Occasional inconsistencies in staff subject knowledge, for example in wider areas of mathematics
• Some inconsistencies in post-16 teaching mean some students do not achieve consistently well
• Leaders should ensure teachers have precise expert knowledge of the subjects they teach
• Leaders should continue expanding the range of qualifications offered to pupils

In 2024–25 pupils at Penn Hall School attended 90.5% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 31.9% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Penn Hall 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 Penn Hall School had 6.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.4% 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 Penn Hall School had 150 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: severe learning difficulty; speech, language and communication needs; vision impairment; physical 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 Penn Hall School received £35,402 and spent £33,671 for each of its 139 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £412,000 (£2,963 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Amethyst Academies Trust, income was £11,392 and spending £10,925 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 Wolverhampton · Wolverhampton local authority: places and applications

Penn Hall School is part of Amethyst Academies Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Tettenhall Wood School Wolverhampton
• Aldersley High School Wolverhampton
• Moreton School Wolverhampton
• The Telford Park School Telford

What is Penn Hall School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Penn Hall School is Expected standard, from an inspection in February 2026.

When was Penn Hall School last inspected by Ofsted?

Penn Hall School was last inspected in February 2026.

How many pupils does Penn Hall School have?

Penn Hall School has 150 pupils on roll.

What age range does Penn Hall School cover?

Penn Hall School for pupils aged 3 to 19.

What are Penn Hall School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Penn Hall School?

Penn Hall School is at Vicarage Road, Penn, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV4 5HP.