Welcombe Hills School
Welcombe Hills School is a special academy in Stratford-upon-Avon for boys and girls aged 2 to 19. It has 170 pupils. About 46 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 2023.
Blue Cap Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6TQ01789 266845welcombe.unitymat.co.ukMs Melissa Lines headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 14 November 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Requires improvement overall.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 15 September 2022 | Ungraded | School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next |
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
14 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018† | Warwickshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 20 | 12 | 15 | – | – |
† These results are for Welcombe Hills School, the school this one replaced in May 2018. 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
12 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† | Warwickshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 16 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 62% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 7% | 8% |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -11.3 | -3.9 | -2.9 | -2.2 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -11.2 | -5.7 | -3.8 | -3.2 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | – | – | – | – | – | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | – | – | – | – | – | 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 Welcombe Hills School, the school this one replaced in May 2018. 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 Warwickshire 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: Autistic spectrum disorder (67), language and communications needs (30), Severe learning difficulty (24), Other difficulty or disability (14), Moderate learning difficulty (10), Specific learning difficulty (9).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 170 | 174 | 184 | 183 | 183 | 185 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 45% | 49% | 45% | 43% | 39% | 36% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 4% | 5% | 4% | 2% | 2% | 1% |
| 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 88.9% 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 | 11.1% | 8.1% | 8.9% | 9.7% | 9.9% | 6.7% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 9.0% | 7.3% | 7.9% | 9.3% | 9.4% | 6.5% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.1% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.2% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 31.7% | 25.0% | 21.6% | 31.7% | 40.3% | 18.7% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 5.8 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 2.2 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 13 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 100%, compared with 100% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Education | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Jolyffe Primary School | Council | 170 m | 322 | Good 2024 | 7 | Compare |
| St Gregory's Catholic Primary School | Academy | 810 m | 209 | Not inspected | 99 | Compare |
| Stratford Upon Avon School | Academy | 0.9 miles | 1,935 | Not inspected | 56 | Compare |
| King Edward VI School | Academy (grammar) | 0.9 miles | 879 | Outstanding 2021 | 99 | Compare |
| Holy Trinity CofE Primary School | Church of England | 0.9 miles | 416 | Report card 2026 | 36 | Compare |
| Stratford-Upon-Avon Primary School | Academy | 1.0 miles | 218 | Outstanding 2024 | 92 | Compare |
| Stratford Preparatory School | Independent | 1.0 miles | 46 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Bishopton Primary School | Council | 1.1 miles | 327 | Good 2023 | 54 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Welcombe Hills School a good school?
Welcombe Hills School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it requires improvement at its last inspection in November 2023.
What is Welcombe Hills School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Welcombe Hills School requires improvement at its last full inspection on 14 November 2023.
How good are Welcombe Hills 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 Welcombe Hills School have?
170 pupils aged 2 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026.
What is attendance like at Welcombe Hills School?
Pupils were in school 88.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 32% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Welcombe Hills 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
- Blue Cap Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6TQ
- Telephone
- 01789 266845
- Website
- www.welcombe.unitymat.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Ms Melissa Lines
- 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
- Unity MAT (3 schools)
- Local authority
- Warwickshire
- Ward
- Stratford Welcombe
- Constituency
- Stratford-on-Avon
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 May 2018 (academy converter)
- URN
- 145486 · LAESTAB 9377044 · UKPRN 10066650
- Formerly
- Welcombe Hills School
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
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.