School Chooser

Wyre Forest School

Special · ages 4-19MixedCouncil389 pupilsSixth formKidderminsterWorcestershire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, December 2019
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance90.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families41%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull389 pupils, 320 places
Pupils per teacher7.1School workforce census

Wyre Forest School is a council special school in Kidderminster for boys and girls aged 4 to 19. It has 389 pupils, 69 more than it has places for. About 41 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 2019.

Habberley Road, Kidderminster, DY11 6FA01562 827785wfs.worcs.sch.ukMrs Rebecca Garratt headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 10 December 2019, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A later, shorter visit on 4 June 2025 said: “Improved significantly”.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Sixth formOfsted calls this “post-16”
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

This inspection is more than 6 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
4 June 2025UngradedImproved significantly

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 11-1.68In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2018/19, 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
Measure202520242023202220192018WorcestershireEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 1120824202125
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 80.71.044.546.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-1.68-1.45
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%41%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%0%64%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.060.033.934.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%39%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged0.31.0
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged1.41.1
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers0.71.0

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

28 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

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
Measure202520242023201920182017WorcestershireEngland
Pupils tested28243091815
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%62%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%7%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%
Reading progressReading progress score-4.1-1.9-9.7-7.6
Maths progressMaths progress score-4.3-2.0-10.7-6.9
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged0%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.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
0%0%
No gapEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

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 Worcestershire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll389Census January 2026
Places320122% full
Pupils from low-income families42%41% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%389 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)38%£178,950 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls284 / 105
White British pupils86%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, hearing impairment, multi-sensory impairment, other needs, 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 Worcestershire with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (150), language and communications needs (133), Other difficulty or disability (49), Severe learning difficulty (25), Specific learning difficulty (10), Physical disability (6).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll389372366324299285
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals42%43%42%40%41%42%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%5%5%3%2%2%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%8%7%11%6%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%92%93%89%94%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance90.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school31.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils2.72024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence10.0%10.6%10.2%10.7%22.2%6.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence7.8%8.4%7.9%8.1%20.4%5.2%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.3%2.3%2.3%2.6%1.9%1.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence31.1%34.0%34.3%38.3%78.7%20.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate2.74.94.02.38.4
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 24 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%90%100%100%
Education100%90%100%100%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%0%0%0%
Not in education, work or training0%5%0%0%

Staff and money

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

Teachers54.7full-time equivalent, 59 people
Pupils per teacher7.1Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers95%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants89.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,002
Teachers who left in the year5%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.32024/25

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£23,737England £32,258. Total £8.8m
Income per pupil£23,608England £32,367. Total £8.8m
Spent on teachers per pupil£9,154England £11,930
Money in reserve8%Not much put by: £684k, £1,839 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out-£48kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£23,737spent 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 m20512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate105 per 1,000 people16% higher than the England average
Typical house price£253,000Wyre Forest
Nearest bus stop60 mPolice Station, 7 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
Baxter CollegeAcademy310 m766No overall grade 202510Compare
St John's CofE Primary SchoolAcademy320 m224Good 202311Compare
Nurture LearningIndependent660 m14Not inspectedCompare
Franche Primary SchoolCouncil750 m726No overall grade 202521Compare
St Catherine's CofE (VC) Primary SchoolChurch of England880 m417Good 202268Compare
Sutton Park Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles233Outstanding 202387Compare
St Mary's CofE (VA) Primary SchoolChurch of England1.0 miles212No overall grade 202514Compare
Foley Park Primary AcademyAcademy1.0 miles219Good 202411Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Wyre Forest School a good school?

Wyre Forest School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in December 2019.

What is Wyre Forest School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Wyre Forest School good at its last full inspection on 10 December 2019. 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 Wyre Forest 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.

How many pupils does Wyre Forest School have?

389 pupils aged 4 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 320 places, so it is 122% full.

What is attendance like at Wyre Forest School?

Pupils were in school 90.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 31% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Wyre Forest School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, hearing impairment, multi-sensory impairment, other needs, 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.

Does Wyre Forest 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
Habberley Road, Kidderminster, DY11 6FA
Telephone
01562 827785
Website
www.wfs.worcs.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Rebecca Garratt
Type of school
Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 4-19, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Worcestershire
Ward
Blakebrook & Habberley South
Constituency
Wyre Forest
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2011 (new provision)
URN
135791 · LAESTAB 8857026 · UKPRN 10035191
Formerly
Blakebrook School, Stourminster Special School

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from