School Chooser

Morecambe Road School

Special · ages 3-16MixedCouncil224 pupils Free breakfast clubMorecambeLancashire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, June 2023
Strong pass in English and maths0%England 46%
Attendance91.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families49%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull224 pupils, 150 places
Pupils per teacher9.5School workforce census

Morecambe Road School is a council special school in Morecambe for boys and girls aged 3 to 16. It has 224 pupils, 74 more than it has places for. About 49 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.

Morecambe Road, Morecambe, LA3 3AB01524 414384morecambe.lancsngfl.ac.ukMrs Anna Dootson headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 14 June 2023 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

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

Average GCSE score0.9
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 11-1.90In 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: 1.71.720182019: 1.41.420192022: 1.61.620222023: 1.11.120232024: 0.60.620242025: 0.90.92025
Since 2018: -0.8
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018LancashireEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11242022161814
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 80.90.61.11.61.41.746.046.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-1.90-1.62-1.69-1.53-1.66
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%44%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%65%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.000.000.000.000.030.044.044.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%0%0%35%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged0.90.61.01.6
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged0.80.51.31.6
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers0.71.21.61.31.1

Subjects

Results came out for 1 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.

Subjects that did worse than the England average: Art and Design (0% here, 58% across 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
Art and Design20 entries
0%England 58%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Art and Design200%0%0%58%

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.

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

13 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.

Reached the expected level at 110%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017LancashireEngland
Pupils tested131518101312
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%61%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%8%8%
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-11.1-1.7-9.9+0.5
Maths progressMaths progress score-10.5-2.9-10.4-1.7
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged0%

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.

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

Average GCSE scoreLow-income pupils vs other pupils
0.90.8
Gap 0.1England 12.2
Strong pass in English and mathsLow-income pupils vs other pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 22 pts
Average GCSE scoreBoys vs girls
0.90.8
Gap 0.1England 3.0

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 21 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

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

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll224Census January 2026
Places150149% full
Pupils from low-income families49%49% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English5%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%1 pupil with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%223 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)44%£117,700 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls150 / 74
White British pupils90%

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, 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 Lancashire with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (99), language and communications needs (47), Moderate learning difficulty (41), emotional and mental health (11), Physical disability (9), Severe learning difficulty (9).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll224221200194169153
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals49%45%49%47%46%45%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language5%4%4%3%4%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 91.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance91.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school24.4%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils5.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence8.9%8.3%8.9%7.8%15.1%8.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence7.6%7.0%7.3%6.2%14.5%7.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.3%1.3%1.6%1.5%0.6%0.9%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence24.4%26.2%28.7%26.0%49.7%21.9%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate5.05.02.60.62.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 22 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training86%and stayed there for at least six months

Among pupils from low-income families it was 91%, compared with 82% for everyone else.

Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training86%94%95%91%
Education86%94%95%91%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%0%0%0%
Not in education, work or training9%0%0%5%

Staff and money

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

Teachers23.5full-time equivalent, 27 people
Pupils per teacher9.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants67.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£49,956
Teachers who left in the year6%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.62024/25

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.

Spend per pupil£25,012England £32,258. Total £5.5m
Income per pupil£24,318England £32,367. Total £5.4m
Spent on teachers per pupil£7,470England £11,930
Money in reserve3%Very little put by: £145k, £661 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out-£153kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£25,012spent 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 m17012 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate84 per 1,000 people8% lower than the England average
Typical house price£200,000Lancaster
Nearest bus stop160 mMorecambe Road School, 18 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
Morecambe and Heysham Grosvenor Park Primary SchoolCouncil410 m320Good 202359Compare
Lancaster and Morecambe CollegeFurther education500 mNot inspectedCompare
Morecambe and Heysham Torrisholme Community Primary SchoolCouncil770 m413No overall grade 202571Compare
Great Wood Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles406Good 202279Compare
Lancaster Road Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles478Report card 20264Compare
The Loyne Specialist SchoolCouncil0.8 miles121Outstanding 2024Compare
Lancaster Ryelands Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles362Report card 202643Compare
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, MorecambeRoman Catholic1.1 miles150Requires improvement 20246Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Morecambe Road School a good school?

Morecambe Road School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in June 2023.

What is Morecambe Road School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Morecambe Road School good at its last full inspection on 14 June 2023.

How good are Morecambe Road 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 0.9, 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 good are Morecambe Road 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 Morecambe Road School have?

224 pupils aged 3 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 150 places, so it is 149% full.

What is attendance like at Morecambe Road School?

Pupils were in school 91.1% 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 Morecambe Road 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, visual impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Morecambe Road School have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Morecambe Road, Morecambe, LA3 3AB
Telephone
01524 414384
Website
www.morecambe.lancsngfl.ac.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Anna Dootson
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 3-16
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Lancashire
Ward
Torrisholme
Constituency
Morecambe and Lunesdale
Setting
Urban: Further from a major town or city
URN
119876 · LAESTAB 8887034 · UKPRN 10016608

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from