Bishopswood School

Bishopswood School is a special school for pupils with a wide range of special educational needs and/or disabilities, all of whom have an education, health and care plan. It is part of The Propeller Academy Trust and was inspected in November 2025. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school is performing well overall, with strong standards in attendance and behaviour, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. The school's culture is calm, purposeful and highly inclusive. Leaders have high expectations for attendance, which is above comparable national figures for pupils with SEND, with notable improvements for disadvantaged pupils. Inclusion is the school's core purpose, and leaders act swiftly to identify and meet pupils' needs, drawing on specialist advice and working closely with families. Leadership is focused on pupils' best interests, with a strong track record of rapid improvement, well-considered staff training and a supportive approach to staff wellbeing. Personal development is a particular strength, with rich enrichment, careers education and pastoral support tailored to individual pupils. Achievement and curriculum and teaching are graded at the expected standard rather than strong. The curriculum is well constructed and coherent, but it is nearing the end of its first cycle and leaders are rightly planning to review it. Next steps include checking how well pupils have learned what is intended, expanding the range of qualifications and accreditations on offer, and embedding consistently effective classroom approaches so that pupils' achievement is sustained across the curriculum over time. These are developmental priorities rather than urgent concerns.

Strengths

• Attendance rates are above comparable national figures for pupils with SEND.
• Leaders have transformed the school culture so the atmosphere is calm, controlled and purposeful.
• Staff skilfully manage routines and use thorough behaviour-support plans to meet individual needs.
• The school provides well for pupils' personal, sensory, social and emotional needs during breaktimes.
• Inclusion is the school's core purpose, with barriers overcome so all pupils can thrive.
• Leaders swiftly identify pupils' needs and draw effectively on existing expertise and specialist advice.
• Staff are well trained for the specific SEND they support, making provision highly effective.
• Leaders, governors and trustees share a clear vision focused on pupils' best interests.
• Leaders have a considerable track record of rapid improvement from a low baseline.
• Professional learning for staff is high quality and complemented by a deliberate wellbeing strategy.
• The personal development programme is rich, ambitious and carefully tailored to individual needs.
• Pupils develop resilience, confidence and self-awareness, and learn how to manage risk and safety.
• The careers programme includes meaningful engagement with colleges, employers and the world of work.
• Pastoral support for mental health and wellbeing is systematic and timely.
• Pupils progress well from diverse starting points and are prepared for their next steps.
• The systematic phonics programme is implemented well and personalised for each pupil.
• Warm relationships and familiar routines give pupils a strong sense of safety and belonging.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement is at the expected standard rather than the strong standard seen in other areas.
• Curriculum and teaching are at the expected standard, with minor inconsistencies remaining in the quality of practice.
• The curriculum is nearing the end of its first cycle and requires review to ensure pupils learn what is intended.
• The range of qualifications and accreditations available to pupils needs to be expanded.
• Leaders need to embed consistently effective approaches that promote and sustain pupils' achievement across the curriculum over time.

In 2024–25 pupils at Bishopswood School attended 90.6% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 32.0% 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, 2.7% of pupils at Bishopswood 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 Bishopswood School had 7.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 27.7% 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 Bishopswood School had 73 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

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 Bishopswood School received £35,667 and spent £34,092 for each of its 74 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £20,000 (£270 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of The Propeller Academy Trust, income was £32,441 and spending £30,305 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 · Oxfordshire local authority: places and applications

Bishopswood School is part of The Propeller Academy Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Hawthorn Academy Wokingham
• Kingfisher School Abingdon
• John Watson School Oxford
• Fitzwaryn School Wantage
• Woodeaton Manor School Oxford

What is Bishopswood School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bishopswood School is Expected standard, from an inspection in January 2026.

When was Bishopswood School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bishopswood School was last inspected in January 2026.

How many pupils does Bishopswood School have?

Bishopswood School has 73 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bishopswood School cover?

Bishopswood School for pupils aged 2 to 16.

What are Bishopswood School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Bishopswood School?

Bishopswood School is at Grove Road, Sonning Common, Reading, Oxfordshire, RG4 9RH.