Springwater Academy
Springwater Academy is a special academy in Harrogate for boys and girls aged 2 to 19. It has 145 pupils and room for 155. About 42 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 2022.
High Street, Starbeck, Springwater Academy, Harrogate, HG2 7LW01423 883214springwater.n-yorks.sch.ukMr Mike Finlay head teacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 14 June 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 11 December 2019 | Ungraded | School remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next |
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
3 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England. These are the results of Springwater School, the school this one replaced.
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
5 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. These are the results of Springwater School, the school this one replaced.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2018† | 2017† | 2016† | North Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 5 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | – | – |
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.
† These results are for Springwater School, the school this one replaced in November 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
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 North Yorkshire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, multi-sensory impairment, other needs, physical disability, profound and multiple learning difficulties, speech, language and communication, 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 North Yorkshire with autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (58), Severe learning difficulty (24), language and communications needs (20), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (16), Moderate learning difficulty (12), Physical disability (3).
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 89.2% 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 | 10.8% | 12.2% | 9.7% | 10.2% | 10.2% | 7.7% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 6.4% | 10.4% | 7.0% | 7.7% | 10.0% | 7.1% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 4.4% | 1.8% | 2.7% | 2.5% | 0.3% | 0.6% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 32.8% | 49.1% | 30.6% | 34.0% | 34.0% | 21.6% | 12.8% |
† These attendance figures are for Springwater School, the school this one replaced in November 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starbeck Primary Academy | Academy | 120 m | 234 | Good 2024 | 13 | Compare |
| Henshaws College | Special post 16 institution | 830 m | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Hookstone Chase Primary School | Academy | 0.7 miles | 289 | Not inspected | 23 | Compare |
| Willow Tree Community Primary School | Academy | 1.0 miles | 423 | No overall grade 2024 | 45 | Compare |
| Harrogate High School | Academy | 1.0 miles | 579 | Report card 2026 | 15 | Compare |
| St Robert's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy | Academy | 1.1 miles | 270 | Good 2023 | 82 | Compare |
| St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy | Academy | 1.3 miles | 193 | Good 2019 | 49 | Compare |
| King James's School | Council | 1.5 miles | 1,554 | Good 2023 | 44 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Springwater Academy a good school?
Springwater Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in June 2022.
What is Springwater Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Springwater Academy good at its last full inspection on 14 June 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.
How many pupils does Springwater Academy have?
145 pupils aged 2 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 155 places, so it is 94% full.
What is attendance like at Springwater Academy?
Pupils were in school 89.2% 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 Springwater Academy have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for autism, multi-sensory impairment, other needs, physical disability, profound and multiple learning difficulties, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does Springwater 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.
Does Springwater Academy 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
- High Street, Starbeck, Springwater Academy, Harrogate, HG2 7LW
- Telephone
- 01423 883214
- Website
- www.springwater.n-yorks.sch.uk
- Head Teacher
- Mr Mike Finlay
- 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 academy (Academy special converter, academies)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 2-19, with nursery, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- The Ascent Academies' Trust (6 schools)
- Local authority
- North Yorkshire
- Ward
- Fairfax & Starbeck
- Constituency
- Harrogate and Knaresborough
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 November 2025 (academy converter)
- URN
- 151754 · LAESTAB 8157024 · UKPRN 10097857
- Formerly
- Springwater School
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.
- Breakfast club: DfE list of schools on the free breakfast club programme.
- 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.