School Chooser

White Spire School

Special · ages 4-19MixedCouncil170 pupilsSixth formMilton Keynes
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedOutstandingConfirmed by Ofsted, July 2024
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance94.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families49%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull170 pupils, 170 places
Pupils per teacher6.3School workforce census

White Spire School is a council special school in Milton Keynes for boys and girls aged 4 to 19. It has 170 pupils and every place is taken. About 49 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 2024.

Rickley Lane, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK3 6EW01908 373266whitespireschool.org.ukMiss Michelle Bartle headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 10 July 2024 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Outstanding overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

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

Average GCSE scoreOfficial name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-1.48In each subject, pupils here finished about a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2015/16, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018Milton KeynesEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11201816152018

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.

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 scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial 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
Measure202520242023201920182017Milton KeynesEngland
Pupils tested10711976
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%66%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%9%8%
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%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.

A level and sixth-form results, 2017

31 students finished sixth-form courses.

Average A level gradeNE
All sixth-form measures, year by year
Measure2017
Students31
Average A level gradeNE

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 Milton Keynes council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll170Census January 2026
Places170100% full
Pupils from low-income families48%49% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English11%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%170 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)46%£70,250 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls111 / 59
White British pupils63%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with moderate learning difficulties.

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 Milton Keynes with moderate learning difficulties provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (81), Severe learning difficulty (43), Specific learning difficulty (15), language and communications needs (12), Autistic spectrum disorder (9), Other difficulty or disability (6).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll170170166157146147
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals48%46%42%40%39%40%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language11%11%10%13%13%13%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support1%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans99%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school15.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils29.42024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.0%6.3%6.5%6.6%4.7%6.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.8%4.7%5.3%5.3%3.4%4.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.2%1.5%1.2%1.3%1.4%2.0%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence15.1%16.8%20.2%23.3%10.5%16.8%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate29.44.20.60.74.8
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 16 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training100%and stayed there for at least six months

Among pupils from low-income families it was 100%, compared with 100% for everyone else.

Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training100%100%100%100%
Education100%100%100%100%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%0%0%0%
Not in education, work or training0%0%0%0%

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers26.8full-time equivalent, 27 people
Pupils per teacher6.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers96%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants35.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£57,879
Teachers who left in the year17%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.92024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£26,896England £32,258. Total £4.6m
Income per pupil£27,524England £32,367. Total £4.7m
Spent on teachers per pupil£12,847England £11,930
Money in reserve18%A healthy amount put by: £827k, £4,866 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out+£107kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£26,896spent 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 m37312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate72 per 1,000 people21% lower than the England average
Typical house price£350,000Milton Keynes
Nearest bus stop40 mWhite Spire School, 15 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
Lord Grey AcademyAcademy20 m1,446Report card 202635Compare
Rickley Park Primary SchoolAcademy160 m447Good 202226Compare
Cambian Bletchley Park SchoolIndependent290 m56Not inspectedCompare
Barleyhurst Park PrimaryCouncil550 m198Good 202424Compare
Romans Field SchoolCouncil610 m95Good 2023Compare
Abbeys Primary SchoolCouncil880 m298Good 202436Compare
Holne Chase Primary SchoolAcademy910 m204Good 202364Compare
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic0.7 miles201No overall grade 202489Compare

Questions parents ask

Is White Spire School a good school?

White Spire School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it outstanding at its last inspection in July 2024.

What is White Spire School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated White Spire School outstanding at its last full inspection on 10 July 2024.

How good are White Spire 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 White Spire School have?

170 pupils aged 4 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 170 places, so it is 100% full.

What is attendance like at White Spire School?

Pupils were in school 94.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 15% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does White Spire School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for moderate learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does White Spire School have a sixth form?

Yes. The average A level grade in 2017 was NE.

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

Contact and details

Address
Rickley Lane, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK3 6EW
Telephone
01908 373266
Website
www.whitespireschool.org.uk
Headteacher
Miss Michelle Bartle
Type of school
Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 4-19, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Milton Keynes
Ward
Bletchley West
Constituency
Buckingham and Bletchley
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
110575 · LAESTAB 8267009 · UKPRN 10015519

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from