School Chooser

Hollis Academy

Special · ages 11-16MixedAcademy90 pupilsMiddlesbrough
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedAs expected teachingOfsted report card, June 2026
Strong pass in English and maths0%England 46%
Attendance65.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families83%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull90 pupils, 85 places
Pupils per teacher6.7School workforce census

Hollis Academy is a sponsored special academy in Middlesbrough for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 90 pupils, 5 more than it has places for. About 83 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted visited in June 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Saltersgill Avenue, Middlesbrough, TS4 3JS01642 855010Headteacher Karl Fenton headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 9 June 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.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
As expected
Achievement
As expected
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
As expected
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
As expected
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
As expected
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
As expected
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
22 June 2022Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1Good

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

17 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE score5.7
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths0%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths0%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-2.32In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2023/24, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 5.95.920182019: 4.54.520192022: 3.53.520222023: 6.96.920232024: 2.12.120242025: 5.75.72025
Since 2018: -0.2
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018MiddlesbroughEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11171917142219
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 85.72.16.93.54.55.941.346.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-2.32-2.84-3.77-2.97-2.87
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%36%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%58%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.290.110.320.130.240.203.564.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%0%0%28%41%
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers1.47.80.36.3

Subjects

Results came out for 3 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.

What is taught here

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Mathematics70%0%0%53%
Food Preparation & Nutrition70%14%29%52%
English Language70%43%57%54%

In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.

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 Middlesbrough council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll90Census January 2026
Places85106% full
Pupils from low-income families83%83% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%90 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)78%£77,000 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls76 / 14
White British pupils86%

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 Middlesbrough with social, emotional and mental health provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (87), Moderate learning difficulty (1), Specific learning difficulty (1), language and communications needs (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll908984837977
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals83%73%80%80%77%75%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%5%2%1%3%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 65.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance65.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school69.2%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils50.62024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission16.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence34.7%38.2%40.5%38.5%40.1%30.2%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence18.7%19.7%24.0%21.2%30.9%15.9%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence16.1%18.5%16.5%17.3%9.2%14.3%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence69.2%76.1%79.6%84.5%92.7%77.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate50.652.4107.2191.163.6
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 17 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training41%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training41%50%42%79%
Education41%43%33%57%
Apprenticeship0%7%4%4%
Work0%0%4%18%
Not in education, work or training24%21%29%18%

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers13.5full-time equivalent, 16 people
Pupils per teacher6.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants19.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,342
Teachers who left in the year12%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher12.72024/25

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.

Spend per pupil£29,865England £30,720. Total £2.7m
Income per pupil£32,067England £33,526. Total £2.9m
Spent on teachers per pupil£14,202England £11,966
Money in reserve14%A healthy amount put by: £393k, £4,412 per pupil. England 16%
Money in against money out+£196kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£29,865spent per pupil

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

Crimes within 500 m83312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate396 per 1,000 people335% higher than the England average
Typical house price£155,000Middlesbrough
Nearest bus stop40 mThe Saltersgill, 17 stops within 500 m

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.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Beverley SchoolAcademy150 mNot inspectedCompare
Newham Bridge Primary SchoolAcademy510 m321Not inspected93Compare
Trinity Catholic CollegeAcademy630 m1,270No overall grade 202418Compare
Beech Grove Primary SchoolCouncil770 m402Not inspected92Compare
St Edward's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy950 m398Good 202346Compare
Green Lane Primary AcademyAcademy0.6 miles663Good 202240Compare
Outwood Academy AcklamAcademy0.6 miles1,201No overall grade 202544Compare
St Thomas More RC Primary SchoolAcademy0.8 miles210Good 202413Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Hollis Academy a good school?

Hollis Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted's report card from June 2026 rated its teaching as as expected.

What is Hollis Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 9 June 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as as expected, leadership as as expected.

How good are Hollis Academy'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 5.7, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.

How many pupils does Hollis Academy have?

90 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 85 places, so it is 106% full.

What is attendance like at Hollis Academy?

Pupils were in school 65.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 69% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Hollis 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
Saltersgill Avenue, Middlesbrough, TS4 3JS
Telephone
01642 855010
Headteacher
Headteacher Karl Fenton
Type of school
Sponsored special academy (Academy special sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Special school, ages 11-16
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Horizons Specialist Academy Trust (8 schools)
Local authority
Middlesbrough
Ward
Longlands & Beechwood
Constituency
Middlesbrough and Thornaby East
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 October 2016 (new provision)
URN
143519 · LAESTAB 8067001 · UKPRN 10061358
Formerly
Prince Bishop School

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from