School Chooser

Sladewood Academy

Special · ages 4-11MixedFree school64 pupils Free breakfast clubStroudGloucestershire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Attendance93.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families36%Far more than most schools
Parents would recommend100%29 Parent View responses
PlacesFull64 pupils, 60 places
Pupils per teacher7.1School workforce census
Pupils on roll64Census January 2026

Sladewood Academy is a special free school in Stroud for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 64 pupils, 4 more than it has places for. About 36 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England.

Bisley Old Road, Stroud, GL5 1NL01453 709300sladewood.sandmat.ukMrs Katy Hanna headteacherAll details

Ofsted

Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

1 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 11Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected levelOfficial name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025GloucestershireEngland
Pupils tested1

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

Open to all. There is no entrance test.

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

What parents say

Would recommend the school100%England 84%
My child is happy here97%agree or strongly agree
My child feels safe93%
Positive overall
My child is happy at this school
97%England 85%
My child feels safe at this school
93%England 86%
Pupils are well behavedThe school makes sure its pupils are well behaved
93%England 79%
Has your child been bullied here?Parents answering yes
7% yesEngland 20%
Bullying was dealt with quickly and effectivelyOnly parents whose child was bullied
100%England 49%
My child gets the right support to learn well
97%England 81%
Does your child have SEND?Parents answering yes
100% yesEngland 32%
The school gives them the support they needOnly parents of children with SEND
100%England 68%
The school communicates well with me
100%England 78%
My concerns have been dealt with properlyWhen I have raised concerns
83%England 66%
Decisions put the child's best interests first
100%England 78%
I would recommend this school
100%England 84%
Strongly agreeAgreeDon't knowDisagreeStrongly disagreeEngland, agree or yes

From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 29 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.

Pupils on roll64Census January 2026
Places60107% full
Pupils from low-income families36%36% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English8%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%64 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)32%£31,000 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls46 / 18
White British pupils72%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, profound and multiple learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, 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 Gloucestershire with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (23), Autistic spectrum disorder (22), Severe learning difficulty (8), Moderate learning difficulty (3), Hearing impairment (1), Other difficulty or disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024
Pupils on roll645532
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals36%33%31%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language8%9%3%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school18.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/24England
Sessions missedOverall absence7.0%7.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence6.6%7.2%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.3%0.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence18.8%25.9%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00

Staff and money

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

Teachers9.0full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher7.1Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers90%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants23.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,501
Teachers who left in the year13%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher6.42024/25

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£31,236England £30,720. Total £1.7m
Income per pupil£30,145England £33,526. Total £1.7m
Spent on teachers per pupil£11,200England £11,966
Money in reserve-10%In the red: -£167k, -£3,032 per pupil. England 16%
Money in against money out-£60kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£31,236spent 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 m7612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate102 per 1,000 people12% higher than the England average
Typical house price£335,000Stroud
Nearest bus stop110 mParliament Community School, 16 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
Uplands Community Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles131No overall grade 202449Compare
Stroud Valley Community Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles252Good 202243Compare
The Rosary Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy1.2 miles135Good 202448Compare
St Rose's Special SchoolNon-maintained special1.2 miles75No overall grade 2025Compare
St Martins Centre (St Roses School)Special post 16 institution1.2 milesNot inspectedCompare
Thrupp SchoolCouncil1.2 miles157No overall grade 202559Compare
Rodborough Community Primary SchoolCouncil1.4 miles185Good 202353Compare
Eastcombe Primary SchoolCouncil1.5 miles49Good 202358Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Sladewood Academy a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Sladewood Academy yet.

How many pupils does Sladewood Academy have?

64 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 60 places, so it is 107% full.

What is attendance like at Sladewood Academy?

Pupils were in school 93.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 19% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

What do parents say about Sladewood Academy?

100% of the 29 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 97% say their child is happy there. Across England, 84% of parents would recommend their child's school.

Does Sladewood Academy have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, profound and multiple learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, 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.

Does Sladewood Academy 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
Bisley Old Road, Stroud, GL5 1NL
Telephone
01453 709300
Website
sladewood.sandmat.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Katy Hanna
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
Special free school (Free schools special, free schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Multi-academy trust
Sand Academies Trust (8 schools)
Local authority
Gloucestershire
Ward
Stroud Slade
Constituency
Stroud
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2023 (academy free school)
URN
149763 · LAESTAB 9167027 · UKPRN 10093067

Where these figures come from