Bishopswood School
Bishopswood School is a sponsored special academy in Reading for boys and girls aged 2 to 16. It has 73 pupils, 1 more than it has places for. About 52 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted visited in November 2025 and gave it a report card, which is below.
Grove Road, Sonning Common, Reading, RG4 9RH0118 972 4311bishopswoodschool.co.ukMrs Priya Bhagrath headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted visited on 18 November 2025. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.
Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 16 November 2021 | S8 No Formal Designation Visit | Inadequate |
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
7 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023† | 2022† | 2019† | 2018† | Oxfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 5 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | – | – | – | – | 0.0 | – | 45.4 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | – | – | – | -1.62 | – | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | – | – | – | – | 0% | – | 47% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | – | – | – | – | 0% | – | 65% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | – | – | – | – | 0.00 | – | 4.05 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | – | – | – | – | 0% | – | 36% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | – | – | – | 0.0 | – | – | – |
† These results are for Bishopswood School, the school this one replaced in January 2023. 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.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023† | 2019† | 2018† | 2017† | Oxfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 8 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 2 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | – | – | 0% | 0% | – | 63% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | – | – | 0% | 0% | – | 10% | 8% |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 0% | – | – | 0% | 0% | – | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 0% | – | – | 0% | 0% | – | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | – | – | 0% | 0% | – | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | – | -3.6 | – | – | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | – | -4.2 | – | – | – | – |
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 Bishopswood School, the school this one replaced in January 2023. 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 Oxfordshire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
What parents say
From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 25 parents answered in the year to 6 April 2026. Parents choose whether to fill it in, and many only do so when an inspection is coming, so don't read too much into small differences. The England figures are the average for all schools with enough answers to publish.
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, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, 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 Oxfordshire with autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (31), language and communications needs (14), Severe learning difficulty (13), Specific learning difficulty (5), Moderate learning difficulty (4), Other difficulty or disability (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 73 | 74 | 72 | 70 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 52% | 42% | 40% | 40% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 30% | 30% | 22% | 21% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% | 100% | 100% |
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% | 12.4% | 11.8% | 12.8% | 8.1% | 9.9% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 6.0% | 8.5% | 7.9% | 12.4% | 8.1% | 9.7% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 3.3% | 3.9% | 3.9% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.1% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 32.0% | 38.4% | 37.1% | 41.6% | 29.0% | 32.3% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 8.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – |
† These attendance figures are for Bishopswood School, the school this one replaced in January 2023. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonning Common Primary School | Council | 40 m | 292 | Good 2023 | 76 | Compare |
| Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge | Academy | 870 m | 374 | Good 2022 | 27 | Compare |
| Kidmore End Church of England Primary School | Academy | 0.8 miles | 151 | Good 2023 | 62 | Compare |
| Peppard Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 1.0 miles | 61 | Report card 2026 | 59 | Compare |
| Aurora Rowan School | Independent | 1.5 miles | 22 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Emmer Green Primary School | Council | 2.3 miles | 417 | No overall grade 2024 | 94 | Compare |
| Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre | Academy | 2.3 miles | 1,537 | Good 2024 | 71 | Compare |
| Caversham Park Primary School | Council | 2.4 miles | 90 | Good 2023 | 68 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Bishopswood School a good school?
Bishopswood School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted's report card from November 2025 rated its teaching as as expected.
What is Bishopswood School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 18 November 2025 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as strong, leadership as strong.
How good are Bishopswood 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 Bishopswood School have?
73 pupils aged 2 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 72 places, so it is 101% full.
What is attendance like at Bishopswood School?
Pupils were in school 90.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 32% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
What do parents say about Bishopswood School?
76% of the 25 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 88% say their child is happy there. Across England, 84% of parents would recommend their child's school.
Does Bishopswood 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, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, 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.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Grove Road, Sonning Common, Reading, RG4 9RH
- Telephone
- 0118 972 4311
- Website
- www.bishopswoodschool.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Priya Bhagrath
- Type of school
- Sponsored special academy (Academy special sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 2-16, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- The Propeller Academy Trust (6 schools)
- Local authority
- Oxfordshire
- Ward
- Sonning Common
- Constituency
- Henley and Thame
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 January 2023 (new provision)
- URN
- 149322 · LAESTAB 9317008 · UKPRN 10091140
- Formerly
- Bishopswood School
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
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.
- 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.