Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School)
Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School) is a special academy in Melton Mowbray for boys and girls aged 4 to 19. It has 246 pupils, 6 more than it has places for. About 42 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 2024.
Grange Drive, Melton Mowbray, LE13 1HA01664 483340birchwoodschool.co.ukMr Philip Leaney headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
A shorter visit on 17 April 2024 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
19 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England. These are the results of Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School), the school this one replaced.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | 2022† | 2019† | 2018† | Leicestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 19 | 25 | 20 | 25 | 19 | 19 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 8.1 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 6.3 | 7.8 | 5.6 | 46.7 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -1.40 | -1.34 | -1.56 | -1.52 | -1.29 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 47% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 5% | 0% | 11% | 5% | 67% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 0.65 | 0.36 | 0.34 | 0.70 | 0.64 | 0.46 | 4.18 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 42% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 6.6 | 4.2 | – | 7.2 | 1.7 | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 9.4 | 4.1 | – | 4.9 | 11.3 | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 4.7 | 2.5 | 5.1 | 3.8 | 4.2 | – | – |
† These results are for Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School), the school this one replaced in December 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
8 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. These are the results of Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School), the school this one replaced.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | 2019† | 2018† | 2017† | Leicestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 8 | 15 | 8 | 13 | 8 | 8 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 63% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 6% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 92.0 | 91.0 | 93.0 | 83.0 | – | – | 105.9 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 91.0 | 86.0 | 82.0 | 86.0 | – | – | 104.9 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 93.0 | 85.0 | 93.0 | 81.0 | – | – | 105.6 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 13% | 7% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 13% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -4.4 | -2.3 | -1.3 | -6.9 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -7.2 | -3.1 | -0.6 | -7.6 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | – | 0% | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | – | 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 Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School), the school this one replaced in December 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
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 Leicestershire 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 autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, other needs, physical disability, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, specific learning difficulties, visual impairment.
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 Leicestershire with autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (73), language and communications needs (53), emotional and mental health (30), Severe learning difficulty (27), Moderate learning difficulty (25), Specific learning difficulty (11).
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.6% 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 | 9.4% | 11.5% | 11.0% | 10.1% | 18.5% | 8.4% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 8.2% | 10.0% | 10.5% | 9.8% | 18.4% | 7.2% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.3% | 1.5% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 1.3% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 24.3% | 31.8% | 32.2% | 30.2% | 68.1% | 21.5% | 12.8% |
† These attendance figures are for Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School), the school this one replaced in December 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Money
Money
From the council school accounts, year to March 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherard Primary School | Academy | 420 m | 443 | Good 2022 | 58 | Compare |
| Melton Vale Sixth Form College | Academy 16-19 converter | 500 m | 533 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Brownlow Primary School | Academy | 0.9 miles | 517 | Good 2023 | 28 | Compare |
| Saint Francis Catholic Primary School | Academy | 0.9 miles | 197 | Good 2023 | 45 | Compare |
| Swallowdale Primary School and Community Centre | Academy | 1.0 miles | 351 | Good 2022 | 13 | Compare |
| The Grove Primary School | Academy | 1.3 miles | 187 | Good 2023 | 52 | Compare |
| Long Field Spencer Academy | Academy | 1.3 miles | 930 | Good 2023 | 51 | Compare |
| John Ferneley College | Academy | 1.8 miles | 1,170 | Requires improvement 2024 | 11 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School) a good school?
Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School) doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in April 2024.
What is Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School)'s Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School) good at its last full inspection on 17 April 2024.
How good are Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School)'s GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 0% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 8.1, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How good are Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School)'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 Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School) have?
246 pupils aged 4 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 240 places, so it is 103% full.
What is attendance like at Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School)?
Pupils were in school 90.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 24% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School) have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, other needs, physical disability, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, specific learning difficulties, visual impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does Birch Wood (Melton Area Special School) have a sixth form?
Yes.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Grange Drive, Melton Mowbray, LE13 1HA
- Telephone
- 01664 483340
- Website
- www.birchwoodschool.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr Philip Leaney
- Type of school
- Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 4-19, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Discovery Schools Academies Trust Ltd (21 schools)
- Local authority
- Leicestershire
- Ward
- Melton Craven
- Constituency
- Melton and Syston
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 December 2025 (academy converter)
- URN
- 152239 · LAESTAB 8557215 · UKPRN 10099346
- Formerly
- Birch Wood (Melton Area Special 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.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- 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.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, consistent financial reporting 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.