The Sky Academy

The Sky Academy is a special school for pupils with emotional, social and mental health difficulties, all of whom have an education, health and care plan. In its June 2026 full inspection, the school was judged to be meeting the expected standard across achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Safeguarding standards are met. The school’s strengths lie in its inclusive, warm and nurturing culture, and in the strong relationships between staff and pupils. Pupils are known and valued as individuals, behaviour is calm, and pastoral and therapeutic support is highly effective. The curriculum is broad and builds on pupils’ starting points, with effective early reading and communication work, expanding key stage 4 qualifications, and strong personal development, careers and enrichment. Leaders have driven clear improvements since the school joined Cabot Learning Federation, and staff feel well supported. The main areas for development are around assessment and evaluation. Teachers do not always use assessment information well enough to plan activities that prepare pupils for later learning, and leaders should sharpen how they evaluate the impact of improvement work and use assessment to identify misconceptions and gaps quickly. The school also faces significant contextual challenges, including high absence and a pupil population with substantial prior barriers to learning, but it is working effectively to address these.

Strengths

• Inclusive, warm and nurturing school where pupils are known and valued as individuals.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture and pupils feeling safe.
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils underpin attendance, behaviour and pastoral support.
• Broad and balanced curriculum builds on pupils’ starting points and special educational needs.
• Effective early reading, phonics, communication and number provision.
• Pupils make steady improvements in writing, including spelling and handwriting.
• Expanded key stage 4 qualifications, including GCSEs, help pupils progress to education or employment.
• Personal development is woven throughout the curriculum, including PSHE, online safety and healthy relationships.
• Highly effective pastoral care and therapeutic support, including art, play and drama therapies.
• Strong inclusion practice with personal learning plans, individual targets and effective use of additional funding.
• Leaders have driven clear improvements since joining the trust and foster a compassionate culture.
• Staff workload and wellbeing are prioritised, with high-quality professional learning.
• Governance provides effective support and challenge, including oversight of safeguarding and inclusion.
• Pupils benefit from careers links, life-skills learning and a wide range of enrichment activities.
• Pupils behave well and respond positively to calm routines; bullying is dealt with quickly.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment information is not always used well enough to plan activities that prepare pupils for subsequent learning.
• Leaders do not yet evaluate the impact of improvement strategies with sufficient precision.
• Teachers need to strengthen use of assessment to identify misconceptions and gaps in knowledge quickly.

In 2024–25 pupils at The Sky Academy attended 66.9% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 68.2% 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, 48.0% of pupils at The Sky 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 Sky Academy had 7.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.3% 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 Sky Academy had 105 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: social, emotional and mental health.

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 Sky Academy received £33,814 and spent £31,518 for each of its 100 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £58,000 (£584 per pupil).

Across all 33 schools of Cabot Learning Federation, income was £8,647 and spending £8,763 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 Taunton · Somerset local authority: places and applications

The Sky Academy is part of Cabot Learning Federation, which runs 34 schools. The nearest others:

• Priorswood Primary School Taunton
• Minerva Primary School Taunton
• Monkton Wood Academy Taunton
• Kingsmead Academy Taunton
• The Redstart Primary School Chard
• Castle Primary School Stoke-Sub-Hamdon
• Uphill Village Academy Weston-Super-Mare
• Broadoak Academy Weston-Super-Mare
• Hans Price Academy Weston-Super-Mare
• Haywood Village Academy North Somerset

What is The Sky Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Sky Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was The Sky Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Sky Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does The Sky Academy have?

The Sky Academy has 105 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Sky Academy cover?

The Sky Academy for pupils aged 5 to 16.

What are The Sky Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 17% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Sky Academy?

The Sky Academy is at Pickeridge Close, Taunton, Somerset, TA2 7HW.