School Chooser

New College Worcester (NMSS)

Special · ages 11-19MixedNon-maintained special52 pupilsSixth formWorcesterWorcestershire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, November 2024
Strong pass in English and maths23%England 46%
Attendance75.8%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families25%About the same as most schools in England
Places44 spare52 pupils, 96 places
Pupils on roll52Census January 2026

New College Worcester (NMSS) is a non-maintained special school in Worcester for boys and girls aged 11 to 19. It has 52 pupils and room for 96. About 25 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Whittington Road, Worcester, WR5 2JX01905 763933ncw.co.ukMrs Rachel Perks principalAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 19 November 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Sixth formOfsted calls this “post-16”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

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

Average GCSE score35.4
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths23%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths46%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11+0.15In each subject, pupils here finished a little ahead of 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: 39.439.420182019: 14.314.320192022: 41.641.620222023: 20.420.420232024: 28.728.720242025: 35.435.42025
Since 2018: -4.0
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018WorcestershireEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 111371010914
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 835.428.720.441.614.339.444.546.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8+0.15-1.90+1.21-1.34-0.18
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths23%14%10%20%0%21%41%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths46%14%20%50%0%29%64%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score3.082.312.003.631.483.363.934.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry23%0%20%40%0%14%39%41%

Subjects

Results came out for 6 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
HumanitiesGeography7

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

Every subject against England, 2025
15%England 58%
31%England 54%
Mathematics12 entries
33%England 53%
40%England 36%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
English Literature138%15%31%58%
English Language138%31%31%54%
Mathematics120%33%58%53%
Combined Science100%40%70%36%
Geography70%29%43%51%
Food Preparation & Nutrition617%67%67%52%

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

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll52Census January 2026
Places9654% full
Pupils from low-income families25%25% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support2%1 pupil with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan98%51 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)25%£7,700 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls25 / 27
White British pupils85%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with 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 Worcestershire with visual impairment provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Vision impairment (51), Physical disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll525972707470
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals25%22%21%20%20%17%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%5%7%9%10%9%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support2%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans98%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 75.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance75.8%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school33.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils13.62024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242017/182016/17England
Sessions missedOverall absence24.2%29.7%17.0%9.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence23.9%29.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.3%0.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence33.3%50.0%57.1%50.0%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate13.65.6
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions02

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 10 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training100%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2018/19 leavers
Still in education, work or training100%100%100%100%
Education100%100%100%100%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%0%0%0%
Not in education, work or training0%0%0%0%

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m11612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate69 per 1,000 people24% lower than the England average
Typical house price£257,000Worcester
Nearest bus stop90 mBlind College, 11 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
Nunnery Wood High SchoolAcademy490 m1,488Good 202271Compare
Worcester Sixth Form CollegeAcademy 16-19 converter530 m0Not inspectedCompare
Nunnery Wood Primary SchoolAcademy700 m390Good 202222Compare
Whittington CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England940 m199Good 202034Compare
Red Hill CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England0.6 miles394Good 202339Compare
Kimichi WorcesterIndependent0.7 miles1Not inspectedCompare
Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic CollegeRoman Catholic0.9 miles1,036Good 202271Compare
Cherry Orchard Primary SchoolAcademy0.9 miles565Good 202443Compare

Questions parents ask

Is New College Worcester (NMSS) a good school?

New College Worcester (NMSS) doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it not judged at its last inspection in November 2024.

What is New College Worcester (NMSS)'s Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated New College Worcester (NMSS) not judged at its last full inspection on 19 November 2024.

How good are New College Worcester (NMSS)'s GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 23% 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 35.4, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished a little ahead of children across England who started secondary school at the same level.

How many pupils does New College Worcester (NMSS) have?

52 pupils aged 11 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 96 places, so it is 54% full.

What is attendance like at New College Worcester (NMSS)?

Pupils were in school 75.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 33% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does New College Worcester (NMSS) have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for visual impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does New College Worcester (NMSS) 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
Whittington Road, Worcester, WR5 2JX
Telephone
01905 763933
Website
www.ncw.co.uk
Principal
Mrs Rachel Perks
Type of school
Non-maintained special school (Non-maintained special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 11-19, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Worcestershire
Ward
Battenhall
Constituency
Worcester
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
117064 · LAESTAB 8857019 · UKPRN 10040382

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from