School Chooser

The Brookfield School

Special · ages 7-16MixedAcademy117 pupilsHerefordHerefordshire, County of
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedRequires improvementLast Ofsted inspection, October 2021
Strong pass in English and maths0%England 46%
Attendance83.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families70%Far more than most schools
Places9 spare117 pupils, 126 places
Pupils per teacher7.4School workforce census

The Brookfield School is a special academy in Hereford for boys and girls aged 7 to 16. It has 117 pupils and room for 126. About 70 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2021.

Grandstand Road, Hereford, HR4 9NG01432 265153thebrookfieldschool.org.ukMrs Michelle Parkes headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 12 October 2021, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Requires improvement overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Requires improvement
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Requires improvement
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Requires improvement
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

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

Average GCSE score9.0
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 11-2.73In 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: 3.33.320182019: 6.66.620192022: 0.90.920222023: 5.65.620232024: 2.52.520242025: 9.09.02025
Since 2018: +5.7
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure20252024†2023†2022†2019†2018†Herefordshire, County ofEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11141414151312
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 89.02.55.60.96.63.345.046.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-2.73-2.07-2.68-2.12-2.27
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%8%0%65%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.450.180.290.020.360.113.974.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%0%0%35%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged1.70.8
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged3.31.0
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers2.67.01.15.81.4

† These results are for The Brookfield School, the school this one replaced in March 2024. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Subjects

Results came out for 4 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
SciencesBiology9

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

Every subject against England, 2025
Mathematics10 entries
0%England 53%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Mathematics100%0%10%53%
English Literature90%0%0%58%
English Language90%0%0%54%
Biology90%0%0%82%

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

14 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 score94.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score87.0
England 104.6
Official 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
Measure20252024†2023†2019†2018†2017†Herefordshire, County ofEngland
Pupils tested1492181012
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%9%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score94.095.094.091.099.090.0105.9105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score87.094.089.088.087.084.0104.6104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score93.095.093.090.094.090.0105.5105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard14%44%24%13%10%8%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%22%5%0%10%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%0%58%
Reading progressReading progress score-3.3-9.2-8.6-3.5
Maths progressMaths progress score-6.9-10.0-8.9-7.8
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.

† These results are for The Brookfield School, the school this one replaced in March 2024. 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 Herefordshire, County of council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll117Census January 2026
Places12693% full
Pupils from low-income families70%70% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%117 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)59%£83,150 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls101 / 16
White British pupils89%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (95), language and communications needs (8), Specific learning difficulty (5), Moderate learning difficulty (4), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), Other difficulty or disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census20262025
Pupils on roll117100
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals70%68%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%3%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support1%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans99%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 83.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance83.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school47.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils32.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission5.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence16.6%19.3%15.1%18.6%24.7%16.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence11.3%15.4%11.5%15.1%23.1%12.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence5.4%3.9%3.7%3.5%1.6%4.6%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence47.1%53.2%45.5%52.3%68.6%49.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate32.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions02

† These attendance figures are for The Brookfield School, the school this one replaced in March 2024. 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.

Teachers15.9full-time equivalent, 17 people
Pupils per teacher7.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers82%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants25.3full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,173
Teachers who left in the year6%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher6.72024/25

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£22,627England £30,720. Total £2.5m
Income per pupil£24,600England £33,526. Total £2.7m
Spent on teachers per pupil£9,664England £11,966
Money in reserve21%A lot put by: £566k, £5,144 per pupil. England 16%
Money in against money out+£217kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£22,627spent 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 m4612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate70 per 1,000 people24% lower than the England average
Typical house price£295,000Herefordshire
Nearest bus stop20 mThe Brookfield School, 9 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
Holmer CofE AcademyAcademy490 m417Not inspected85Compare
Pathway Schools LimitedIndependent800 mNot inspectedCompare
Trinity Primary SchoolCouncil870 m549Good 202365Compare
G.E.M HerefordIndependent880 m26Not inspectedCompare
Whitecross HerefordAcademy0.6 miles942Good 202344Compare
Lord Scudamore Primary AcademyAcademy0.8 miles507Good 202328Compare
St Thomas Cantilupe CofE AcademyAcademy0.9 miles231Report card 202686Compare
Herefordshire Pupil Referral ServicePupil referral unit0.9 miles60Good 2022Compare

Questions parents ask

Is The Brookfield School a good school?

The Brookfield School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it requires improvement at its last inspection in October 2021.

What is The Brookfield School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated The Brookfield School requires improvement at its last full inspection on 12 October 2021. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.

How good are The Brookfield 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 9.0, 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 The Brookfield 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 Brookfield School have?

117 pupils aged 7 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 126 places, so it is 93% full.

What is attendance like at The Brookfield School?

Pupils were in school 83.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 47% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

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

Contact and details

Address
Grandstand Road, Hereford, HR4 9NG
Telephone
01432 265153
Website
www.thebrookfieldschool.org.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Michelle Parkes
Type of school
Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
Phase
Special school, ages 7-16
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Multi-academy trust
Mercian Educational Trust (7 schools)
Local authority
Herefordshire, County of
Ward
Widemarsh
Constituency
Hereford and South Herefordshire
Setting
Urban: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 March 2024 (fresh start)
URN
149855 · LAESTAB 8847009 · UKPRN 10092579
Formerly
The Brookfield School

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from