Fox Wood Special School
Fox Wood Special School is a council special school in Warrington for boys and girls aged 4 to 19. It has 174 pupils, 96 more than it has places for. About 47 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted visited in May 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.
Holes Lane, Woolston, Warrington, WA1 4LS01925 811534foxwoodschool.org.ukMiss Lucinda Duffy headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted visited on 19 May 2026. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 19 October 2021 | S5 Inspection | Good |
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
5 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
The government hasn't published this school's headline results. Fewer than eleven pupils sat the exams, so the figures could identify individual children.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
10 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 | Warrington | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 10 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 3 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | 0% | – | 68% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | 0% | – | 9% | 8% |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | – | – | – | – | 89.0 | – | 105.9 | 104.6 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | 0% | – | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | 0% | – | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | 0% | – | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -3.3 | – | +0.4 | – | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -4.3 | – | +3.8 | – | – | – |
| 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.
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 Warrington council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
What parents say
From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 47 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 severe learning difficulties.
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 Warrington with severe learning difficulties provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (90), Severe learning difficulty (55), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (21), Moderate learning difficulty (6), Specific learning difficulty (2).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 174 | 138 | 133 | 124 | 115 | 108 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 45% | 46% | 45% | 41% | 44% | 43% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 14% | 15% | 15% | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| 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 90.4% 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 | 9.6% | 9.3% | 10.1% | 10.8% | 6.4% | 9.2% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 8.1% | 8.4% | 8.7% | 9.6% | 5.4% | 8.2% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.5% | 0.9% | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.0% | 1.1% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 25.4% | 31.8% | 34.6% | 33.0% | 20.0% | 29.1% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 8 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2018/19 leavers |
|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 100% | 90% |
| Education | 100% | 90% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 0% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 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 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woolston Brook School | Council | 210 m | 73 | No overall grade 2025 | – | Compare |
| Green Lane Community Special School | Council | 220 m | 229 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Bruche Academy | Academy | 290 m | 243 | Good 2022 | 95 | Compare |
| Woolston Community Primary School | Academy | 520 m | 230 | Good 2023 | 33 | Compare |
| King's Leadership Academy Warrington | Free school | 520 m | 804 | Not inspected | 89 | Compare |
| St Peter's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 740 m | 211 | Outstanding 2024 | 95 | Compare |
| Woolston CofE Aided Primary School | Church of England | 830 m | 208 | Good 2023 | 82 | Compare |
| Kassia Academy and Support Services | Academy alternative provision converter | 970 m | 18 | Good 2024 | – | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Fox Wood Special School a good school?
Fox Wood Special School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted's report card from May 2026 rated its teaching as strong.
What is Fox Wood Special School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 19 May 2026 it rated teaching as strong, achievement as strong, behaviour and attendance as exceptional, leadership as strong.
How good are Fox Wood 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 Fox Wood Special School have?
174 pupils aged 4 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 78 places, so it is 223% full.
What is attendance like at Fox Wood Special School?
Pupils were in school 90.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 25% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
What do parents say about Fox Wood Special School?
100% of the 47 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 98% say their child is happy there. Across England, 84% of parents would recommend their child's school.
Does Fox Wood Special School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does Fox Wood 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
- Holes Lane, Woolston, Warrington, WA1 4LS
- Telephone
- 01925 811534
- Website
- www.foxwoodschool.org.uk
- Headteacher
- Miss Lucinda Duffy
- Type of school
- Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 4-19, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Local authority
- Warrington
- Ward
- Rixton and Woolston
- Constituency
- Warrington North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 111496 · LAESTAB 8777002 · UKPRN 10015338
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, 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.