Aspire Academy
Aspire Academy is a special academy in Welling for boys and girls aged 5 to 11. It has 75 pupils, 11 more than it has places for. About 72 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
South Gipsy Road, Welling, DA16 1JB020 8304 1320aspire.lseat.org.ukMrs Heather Hopkins and Mrs Julie Arkwright head of schoolAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 7 March 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 25 November 2021 | Ungraded | School remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next |
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
16 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018† | 2017† | Bexley | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 16 | 20 | 11 | 14 | 6 | 7 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 5% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 67% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 13% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 90.0 | 96.0 | 95.0 | 87.0 | 89.0 | 90.0 | 106.6 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 87.0 | 90.0 | 89.0 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.0 | 105.7 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 90.0 | 90.0 | 91.0 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 89.0 | 106.1 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 0% | 25% | 18% | 14% | 0% | 14% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 0% | 10% | 18% | 7% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | 5% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -9.0 | -8.2 | – | – | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -9.3 | -9.0 | – | – | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | – | – | – | – | 0% | 0% | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
† These results are for Westbrooke School, the school this one replaced in November 2017. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Bexley council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Bexley with social, emotional and mental health provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (58), Autistic spectrum disorder (13), language and communications needs (4).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 75 | 64 | 55 | 44 | 42 | 46 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 72% | 77% | 75% | 66% | 64% | 57% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 7% | 8% | 4% | 0% | 0% | 4% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 86.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 13.8% | 9.6% | 11.0% | 8.1% | 24.1% | 7.4% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 7.4% | 5.7% | 5.9% | 5.8% | 20.8% | 3.5% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 6.4% | 3.9% | 5.1% | 2.4% | 3.3% | 3.9% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 41.8% | 37.1% | 25.0% | 32.7% | 71.2% | 19.2% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 54.7 | 45.5 | 18.2 | 69.1 | 113.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foster's Primary School | Voluntary | 170 m | 452 | Good 2024 | 86 | Compare |
| Barrington Primary School | Academy | 260 m | 213 | Not inspected | 58 | Compare |
| Crook Log Primary School | Council | 490 m | 432 | Good 2024 | 72 | Compare |
| Park View Academy | Independent | 560 m | 48 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Brampton Primary Academy | Academy | 660 m | 429 | Good 2024 | 67 | Compare |
| St Michael's East Wickham Church of England Primary School | Academy | 840 m | 221 | Good 2022 | 54 | Compare |
| Welling School | Academy | 930 m | 1,084 | Report card 2026 | 3 | Compare |
| Upland Primary School | Academy | 950 m | 444 | Good 2024 | 72 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Aspire Academy a good school?
Aspire Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in March 2023.
What is Aspire Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Aspire Academy good at its last full inspection on 7 March 2023.
How good are Aspire Academy's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.
How many pupils does Aspire Academy have?
75 pupils aged 5 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 64 places, so it is 117% full.
What is attendance like at Aspire Academy?
Pupils were in school 86.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 42% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Aspire Academy have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for social, emotional and mental health. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- South Gipsy Road, Welling, DA16 1JB
- Telephone
- 020 8304 1320
- Website
- aspire.lseat.org.uk
- Head of School
- Mrs Heather Hopkins and Mrs Julie Arkwright
- Type of school
- Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 5-11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- London South East Academies Trust (19 schools)
- Local authority
- Bexley
- Ward
- Falconwood & Welling
- Constituency
- Old Bexley and Sidcup
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 November 2017 (academy converter)
- URN
- 144406 · LAESTAB 3037003 · UKPRN 10064754
- Formerly
- Westbrooke School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.