The Brier School
The Brier School is a special academy in Kingswinford for boys and girls aged 4 to 16. It has 219 pupils, 16 more than it has places for. About 43 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2023.
Bromley Lane, Kingswinford, DY6 8QN01384 816000brier.dudley.sch.ukMrs Bethan Landon headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 14 February 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Outstanding overall.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 4 December 2019 | Ungraded | School remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next |
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
16 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England. These are the results of The Brier School, the school this one replaced.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | 2022† | 2019† | 2018† | Dudley | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 9 | 16 | 12 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 5.1 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 44.3 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -1.41 | -1.47 | -1.42 | -1.31 | -1.10 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 42% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 0% | 7% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 63% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 0.05 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.20 | 0.03 | 0.13 | 3.79 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 29% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 0.6 | 2.1 | 2.6 | – | 3.7 | 2.6 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 1.4 | 2.3 | 1.1 | – | 1.6 | 4.9 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 2.2 | 1.9 | 5.1 | 2.5 | 3.8 | – | – |
† These results are for The Brier School, the school this one replaced in June 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
10 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 The Brier School, the school this one replaced.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | 2019† | 2018† | 2017† | Dudley | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 10 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 9 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 63% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 8% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | – | 96.0 | – | – | 86.0 | – | 105.0 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | – | 94.0 | – | 98.0 | 93.0 | 100.0 | 104.0 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | – | 103.0 | – | – | 93.0 | – | 105.0 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 7% | 0% | 11% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -6.9 | -3.5 | -3.8 | -3.5 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -7.1 | -2.4 | -3.6 | -0.9 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | – | – | 0% | 0% | – | – | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | – | – | 0% | 0% | – | – | – | – |
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 The Brier School, the school this one replaced in June 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
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
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 Dudley 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, moderate learning difficulties, other needs, physical disability, speech, language and communication, severe 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 Dudley with autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (150), Moderate learning difficulty (27), Autistic spectrum disorder (24), Physical disability (6), Severe learning difficulty (4), emotional and mental health (4).
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.3% 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 | 5.7% | 6.6% | 7.1% | 7.0% | 13.8% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 5.2% | 5.7% | 6.3% | 6.4% | 13.4% | 3.4% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 0.5% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.9% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 16.2% | 18.1% | 17.1% | 22.4% | 58.3% | 8.0% | 12.8% |
† These attendance figures are for The Brier School, the school this one replaced in June 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 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.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Crestwood School | Academy | 90 m | 1,023 | Good 2023 | 29 | Compare |
| Bromley Hills Primary School | Council | 100 m | 282 | Not inspected | 27 | Compare |
| Crestwood Park Primary School | Council | 530 m | 210 | Good 2022 | 36 | Compare |
| Dingle Community Primary School | Council | 590 m | 188 | No overall grade 2025 | 26 | Compare |
| Pens Meadow School | Council | 940 m | 145 | Good 2019 | – | Compare |
| The Wordsley School | Academy | 0.7 miles | 906 | Good 2024 | – | Compare |
| Fairhaven Primary School | Academy | 0.7 miles | 251 | Requires improvement 2021 | 10 | Compare |
| The Bromley-Pensnett Primary School | Academy | 0.8 miles | 243 | Good 2023 | 25 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is The Brier School a good school?
The Brier School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it outstanding at its last inspection in February 2023.
What is The Brier School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated The Brier School outstanding at its last full inspection on 14 February 2023.
How good are The Brier 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 1.0, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How good are The Brier 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 The Brier School have?
219 pupils aged 4 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 203 places, so it is 108% full.
What is attendance like at The Brier School?
Pupils were in school 94.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 16% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does The Brier School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for autism, moderate learning difficulties, other needs, physical disability, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, visual impairment. 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
- Bromley Lane, Kingswinford, DY6 8QN
- Telephone
- 01384 816000
- Website
- www.brier.dudley.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Bethan Landon
- Type of school
- Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 4-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Ascent Multi Academy Trust (2 schools)
- Local authority
- Dudley
- Ward
- Kingswinford South
- Constituency
- Kingswinford and South Staffordshire
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 June 2025 (academy converter)
- URN
- 151763 · LAESTAB 3327002 · UKPRN 10097848
- Formerly
- The Brier 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, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- 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.