The Heights Academy

The Heights Academy is a small special school for pupils with autistic spectrum conditions, all of whom have education, health and care plans. It opened in 2023, is part of Forward Education Trust and is growing year by year. This was its first section 5 inspection, and all four key judgements were requires improvement, although safeguarding was judged effective. The school has a warm, caring ethos and positive relationships between staff and pupils. Pupils generally work hard, behaviour is mostly calm and purposeful, and staff know pupils well. The curriculum is ambitious and broad, reading is a notable strength, and pupils benefit from a wide range of personal development opportunities, including trips, theatre work and football. Pupils are kept safe through vigilant and sensitive supervision. However, there are important weaknesses. Curriculum delivery is inconsistent, and activities are sometimes not well matched to pupils’ learning needs, which limits achievement and depth of learning. Some pupils become anxious or unsettled and miss learning when support is not effective enough, and absence remains too high for some. Communication with some parents has been poor, leading to dissatisfaction, and the school’s systems for checking its own effectiveness have not identified weaknesses quickly enough. The trust acknowledges these issues and is committed to improvement.

Strengths

• Warm and caring welcome for pupils, many of whom have had negative or disrupted prior education
• Ambitious, broad curriculum designed to give pupils foundational knowledge for formal qualifications
• Strong focus on reading, with pupils typically reading widely and often
• Well-trained staff provide targeted support for pupils who find reading challenging
• Pupils generally work hard and show positive attitudes to learning
• Staff are dedicated, caring and know pupils well
• Pupils feel safe because staff are vigilant and supervise them closely and sensitively
• Positive relationships and a happy atmosphere around the school and in lessons
• Wide personal development offer including trips, visitors, theatre professionals and football
• Staff are proud to work at the school and feel leaders care about their well-being
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum delivery is inconsistent across the school
• Activities are sometimes not well matched to pupils’ learning needs
• Some activities do not focus closely enough on the most important learning or allow sufficient depth
• Some pupils become anxious or unsettled in lessons and miss learning when support is not effective enough
• Some pupils are absent too often and miss important academic and social learning
• The personal development offer is well structured but at an early stage, and the school is unclear how many pupils take up opportunities
• Communication and engagement with some parents have not been effective, leaving some parents dissatisfied
• The school has not successfully checked the impact of its own work, so some weaknesses have not been identified and addressed
• Behaviour is mostly positive but some pupils sometimes struggle to meet the school’s high expectations, causing upset to others

In 2024–25 pupils at The Heights Academy attended 72.0% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 61.5% 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, 32.7% of pupils at The Heights 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 The Heights Academy had 6.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 28.6% 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 Heights Academy had 69 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: 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 The Heights Academy received £42,757 and spent £40,453 for each of its 49 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £238,000 (£4,848 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Forward Education Trust, income was £29,226 and spending £27,361 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 Solihull · Solihull local authority: places and applications

The Heights Academy is part of Forward Education Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Leycroft Academy Birmingham
• Hallmoor School Birmingham
• Brays School Birmingham
• The Bridge School Birmingham
• High Point Academy Wednesbury

What is The Heights Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Heights Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was The Heights Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Heights Academy was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does The Heights Academy have?

The Heights Academy has 69 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Heights Academy cover?

The Heights Academy for pupils aged 7 to 16.

Where is The Heights Academy?

The Heights Academy is at Auckland Drive, Solihull, B36 0DD.