Sladewood Academy

Sladewood Academy is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 11 with moderate to complex learning needs, all of whom have education, health and care plans. Inspected in June 2026, the school is judged to be working at the expected standard overall. Pupils achieve well from their different starting points, attendance is a significant strength, and there is a deliberate and effective focus on communication, personal development and therapeutic support. Pupils feel safe, are well prepared for their next stage of education, and benefit from bespoke curriculums and positive relationships with staff. Safeguarding standards are met. The main area of concern is leadership and governance, which requires attention. Trustees have not effectively steered the school’s strategic direction or use of resources over time, and the trust lacks sufficient oversight of the school’s work. Although clear plans are in place and recent trust-level changes have been made, these are very recent and it is too soon to see their impact. There are also inconsistencies in curriculum implementation and in the quality of staff–pupil interactions, meaning a minority of pupils do not benefit as fully as they could. Leaders know this and are already taking steps to address it. Overall, this is a school with many strengths and a clear capacity to improve further. The trust must now establish robust accountability and oversight so that leadership becomes as effective as the school’s direct work with pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well from their different starting points, including disadvantaged pupils and those known to social care.
• A deliberate focus on communication and language opens up pupils’ world and makes a notable positive difference.
• Targeted support steadily closes gaps in speech, language, communication and physical development.
• The attendance strategy is highly successful, with absence rates consistently lower than national for pupils with SEND.
• Leaders analyse attendance patterns meticulously, resulting in very few persistently absent pupils.
• Pupils and staff form positive relationships, and staff use de-escalation strategies effectively.
• Pupils learn to manage their emotions and show positive attitudes to learning at social times.
• The curriculum is generally well sequenced across the three learning pathways.
• Early reading is prioritised and builds pupils’ confidence in phonics when they are ready.
• Assessment checks what pupils know and understand over time well.
• A detailed induction and accurate identification of needs lead to bespoke support for pupils.
• The school invests in high-quality therapy and uses therapists’ advice to improve participation.
• The 'our futures' and 'our world' curriculums prepare pupils well for their next stage of education and life beyond school.
• Personal development is prioritised daily, supporting independence, life skills and pupils’ voice.
• Leaders build positive relationships with parents and carers, who recognise the positive difference the school makes.
• Staff value the focus on their wellbeing and workload.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
• Pupils feel safe, accepted and celebrated, and they have confidence in staff to sort out bullying.
• There are many opportunities for pupils to develop talents and creativity, such as performing at dance festivals.
• Community projects and early careers work set high expectations for pupils’ futures.
• The school uses additional funding effectively to broaden pupils’ experiences and remove barriers for disadvantaged pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Trustees have not effectively steered the strategic direction of the school or the use of resources over time.
• The trust does not have enough oversight of the school’s work.
• Suitable accountability structures are not yet built and used effectively to provide stringent oversight.
• Recent substantial organisational change at trust level means improvement plans are not yet implemented and impact is too soon to see.
• There are occasions when staff do not make highly effective choices about what to teach and when.
• Teaching does not always build on what pupils already know or demand enough of them.
• A minority of pupils do not benefit as fully from teaching as leaders intend.
• Staff–pupil interactions are not consistently effective and do not always support pupils’ confidence, resilience and independence.
• A minority of staff do not secure high-quality interactions so that pupils thrive personally and academically.

In 2024–25 pupils at Sladewood Academy attended 93.0% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 18.8% 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 Sladewood 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 Sladewood Academy had 7.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.5% 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 Sladewood Academy had 64 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; profound and multiple learning difficulty; social, emotional and mental health; speech, language and communication needs; multi-sensory impairment; 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 Sladewood Academy received £30,054 and spent £31,675 for each of its 55 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £167,000 (-£3,032 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Sand Academies Trust, income was £17,654 and spending £18,975 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 Stroud · Gloucestershire local authority: places and applications

Sladewood Academy is part of Sand Academies Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Willow Primary Academy Gloucester
• Calton Primary School Gloucester
• Tredworth Infant and Nursery Academy Gloucester
• The Milestone School Gloucester
• Paternoster School Cirencester
• Belmont School Cheltenham
• Battledown School Cheltenham

What is Sladewood Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sladewood Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Sladewood Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Sladewood Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Sladewood Academy have?

Sladewood Academy has 64 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sladewood Academy cover?

Sladewood Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

Where is Sladewood Academy?

Sladewood Academy is at Bisley Old Road, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 1NL.