The Ladder School
The Ladder School is a free schools alternative provision in Walsall for boys and girls aged 13 to 18. It has 62 pupils and room for 120. About 64 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 2023.
40 George Street, Walsall, WS1 1RS01922 285848theladderschool.orgMs Hannah Shepherd headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 3 July 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
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 Walsall council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (15), Moderate learning difficulty (6), language and communications needs (5), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (2), Autistic spectrum disorder (1), Other difficulty or disability (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 62 | 44 | 27 | 16 | 19 | 10 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 60% | 64% | 30% | 56% | 63% | 40% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 0% | 11% | 22% | 6% | 5% | 10% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 66% | 52% | 75% | 68% | 80% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 34% | 26% | 25% | 26% | 20% |
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 primary 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walsall Studio School | Studio schools | 70 m | 206 | No overall grade 2025 | 4 | Compare |
| Blue Coat Church of England Academy | Academy | 460 m | 972 | Good 2023 | 35 | Compare |
| Blue Coat Church of England Aided Infant School | Church of England | 500 m | 314 | Good 2022 | 23 | Compare |
| Blue Coat Church of England Aided Junior School | Church of England | 590 m | 366 | Not inspected | 51 | Compare |
| Caldmore Primary Academy | Academy | 630 m | 436 | No overall grade 2025 | 46 | Compare |
| Walsall College | Further education | 800 m | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| West Midlands Education and Skills | Independent | 870 m | 45 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Walsall | Roman Catholic | 910 m | 223 | Report card 2026 | 31 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is The Ladder School a good school?
The Ladder School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in July 2023.
What is The Ladder School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated The Ladder School good at its last full inspection on 3 July 2023.
How many pupils does The Ladder School have?
62 pupils aged 13 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 120 places, so it is 52% full.
Does The Ladder School 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
- 40 George Street, Walsall, WS1 1RS
- Telephone
- 01922 285848
- Website
- www.theladderschool.org
- Headteacher
- Ms Hannah Shepherd
- Type of school
- Free schools alternative provision (Free schools alternative provision, free schools)
- Phase
- Pupil referral unit / alternative provision, ages 13-18, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- The Mercian Trust (12 schools)
- Local authority
- Walsall
- Ward
- St Matthew's
- Constituency
- Walsall and Bloxwich
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 11 January 2019 (academy free school)
- URN
- 143750 · LAESTAB 3351105 · UKPRN 10082419
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.
- 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.