The Ladder School
Special / other · Walsall · WS1 1RS
Data updated
Graded inspection under the pre-November 2025 system
This is an overall-effectiveness grade from the previous inspection framework. The school has not yet had a report-card inspection.
Inspected 3 July 2023
Read the Ofsted report ↗At a glance
62 pupils · 52% of 120 capacity (January 2026 census)
- School type
- Free schools alternative provision
- Age range
- 13–18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Free school meals
- 64.3% of pupils (January 2026)
- English as additional language
- 11.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
- SEN support
- 65.9% of pupils (2024/2025)
- EHC plan
- 34.1% of pupils (2024/2025)
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Website
- www.theladderschool.org
- URN
- 143750
In figures
Ofsted last graded it Good on 3 July 2023, under the framework used before November 2025. It had 62 pupils at the 15 January 2026 census.
Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)
White British 63% (Walsall 76%, England 73%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 13% (Walsall 7%, England 4%) · Asian Pakistani 6% (Walsall 3%, England 2%) · Black Caribbean 5% (Walsall 3%, England 2%) · Not recorded 3% (Walsall 1%, England 3%) · Any other White background 3% (Walsall 2%, England 3%) · Asian Indian 2% (Walsall 2%, England 0%) · Black African 2% (Walsall 1%, England 2%) · Any other Mixed background 2% (Walsall 3%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Asian 2% (Walsall 1%, England 1%)
Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures
Staffing
Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.
Teacher retention (2024/25)
52% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 42% moved to another state school · 6% left the state-funded sector
Vacancies (November 2025)
0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, special schools and PRUs: 0.68% vacant, 1.02% temporary
Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)
64.7% of teachers took sickness absence, 11 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days
Teacher pay (November 2025)
Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £47,141; 20% on the leadership pay range · England, special schools and PRUs: £53,604, 18.3%
Vacancies, sickness and pay, last three years Premium
Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.
Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted
Spending per pupil (2024-25)
Where the money went (2024-25)
Share of spending, with the median for alternative provision schools in brackets: Staff 64% (80%) · premises 5% (4%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 6% (5%) · supplies and services 25% (9%) · educational supplies 19% (4%) · bought-in professional services 3% (1%) · catering 3% (2%)
Reserves (2024-25)
Revenue reserve -£137,000; in-year balance +£92,000
Spending and reserves, last three years Premium
Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.
Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared
The area around the school
- Child poverty (IDACI)
- 2/10among the most deprived fifth of England
- Overall deprivation (IMD)
- 1/10among the most deprived tenth of England
| Census 2021 | This area | England |
|---|---|---|
| Adults with a degree or higher | 20.8% | 33.9% |
| Adults with no qualifications | 33.7% | 18.1% |
| In managerial or professional work | 11.8% | 33.2% |
| Households deprived in two or more ways | 36.9% | 18.1% |
| Residents in very good health | 45.6% | 48.5% |
| Homes owned by the occupier | 14.6% | 62.3% |
| Social housing | 43.9% | 17.1% |
| Privately rented | 40.7% | 20.5% |
| Detached houses | 3.5% | 22.9% |
| Flats | 70% | 22.2% |
| Homes with four or more bedrooms | 11.3% | 21.1% |
| Households with no car or van | 58.8% | 23.5% |
These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01033896 · how to read area figures
What homes cost nearby
- Median sale price
- £130,000205 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
- Typical range
- £95,000–£195,000the middle half of sales
- England median
- £300,000all sales over the same period
Homes around this school are among the cheapest tenth of school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.
Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
Roads around the school
- Child pedestrian casualties
- 1an urban school averages 2.0
- Collisions at school-run times
- 10an urban school averages 5.7
- All reported collisions
- 58an urban school averages 30.5
- Of those, serious or fatal
- 11an urban school averages 6.1
A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted