Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy
Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy is a special academy in Gainsborough for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 132 pupils, 5 more than it has places for. About 64 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted visited in May 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.
Middlefield Lane, Gainsborough, DN21 1PU01427 615498warrenwoodschool.co.ukMrs Claire Ellis executive principalAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted visited on 12 May 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.
Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 16 November 2021 | S5 Inspection | Good |
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
15 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.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | Lincolnshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 15 | 15 | 18 | 12 | 15 | 9 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 59% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 6% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | – | – | 96.0 | 80.0 | 93.0 | 93.0 | 104.5 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | – | – | 92.0 | 81.0 | 93.0 | 93.0 | 103.5 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | – | – | 97.0 | 93.0 | 93.0 | 99.0 | 103.9 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 0% | 0% | 6% | 0% | 7% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 7% | 11% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -6.5 | -4.2 | -7.3 | -6.7 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -7.1 | -5.6 | -7.3 | -8.2 | – | – |
| 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.
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 Lincolnshire 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, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, profound and multiple learning difficulties, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, 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 Lincolnshire with autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (102), Autistic spectrum disorder (15), Moderate learning difficulty (4), emotional and mental health (4), Physical disability (2), Specific learning difficulty (2).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 132 | 118 | 117 | 115 | 112 | 99 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 64% | 64% | 61% | 62% | 59% | 61% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 5% | 5% | 4% | 6% | 7% | 6% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.6% 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 | 9.5% | 8.2% | 7.2% | 8.9% | 12.6% | 7.0% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 8.7% | 7.9% | 7.2% | 8.4% | 12.6% | 7.0% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 0.7% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 26.4% | 32.3% | 21.7% | 23.2% | 46.2% | 18.4% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
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 Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy | Academy | 290 m | 231 | No overall grade 2025 | 33 | Compare |
| White's Wood Academy | Academy | 370 m | 195 | Good 2022 | 5 | Compare |
| The Gainsborough Charles Baines Community Primary School | Council | 490 m | 189 | No overall grade 2025 | 6 | Compare |
| Handel House Preparatory School | Independent | 840 m | 44 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Aegir - A Specialist Academy | Academy | 980 m | 151 | Good 2024 | – | Compare |
| Benjamin Adlard Primary School | Academy | 0.6 miles | 234 | Report card 2026 | 61 | Compare |
| St George's Church of England Community Primary School, Gainsborough | Church of England | 0.6 miles | 189 | Good 2023 | 12 | Compare |
| The Gainsborough Parish Church Primary School | Academy | 0.6 miles | 255 | Report card 2026 | 7 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy a good school?
Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted's report card from May 2026 rated its teaching as strong.
What is Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 12 May 2026 it rated teaching as strong, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as strong, leadership as strong.
How good are Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy'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 Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy have?
132 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 127 places, so it is 104% full.
What is attendance like at Warren Wood - A Specialist Academy?
Pupils were in school 90.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 26% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Warren Wood - A Specialist 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, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, 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.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Middlefield Lane, Gainsborough, DN21 1PU
- Telephone
- 01427 615498
- Website
- www.warrenwoodschool.co.uk
- Executive Principal
- Mrs Claire Ellis
- Type of school
- Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 2-11, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Inspire Connected Communities Trust (4 schools)
- Local authority
- Lincolnshire
- Ward
- Gainsborough South-West
- Constituency
- Gainsborough
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 July 2015 (academy converter)
- URN
- 142168 · LAESTAB 9257033 · UKPRN 10053091
- Formerly
- Warren Wood Community 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.
- 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.