SchoolFacts

Discovery Special Academy

Special / other · Middlesbrough · TS5 7YN

⇄ Compare with another school
Good

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.

Quality of education: GoodBehaviour & attitudes: GoodPersonal development: GoodLeadership & management: GoodSafeguarding effective: Yes

Inspected 18 January 2023

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

187 pupils · 100% of 181 capacity

School type
Free schools special
Age range
2–16
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
76.6% of pupils
English as additional language
19.3% of pupils
SEN support
1.8% of pupils
EHC plan
98.2% of pupils
Nursery
Yes
Website
https://www.discoveryspecialacademy.org.uk/
URN
145877

Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)

15 pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2024/2025

Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths
0%
England 62%
Reaching the higher standard
0%
England 8%
Average scaled score (reading)

no data

Average scaled score (maths)

no data

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025. “Suppressed” means the DfE withholds figures for very small cohorts.

Attendance (2025/26 autumn term)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
8.4%
England 6.5%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
27.5%
England 18.1%

Autumn-term absence, DfE pupil absence data. Lower is better.

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
7.6
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

89% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 11% left the state-funded sector

School Workforce Census, DfE. The ratio counts full-time-equivalent qualified teachers; retention follows teachers in post one November to the next. Open Government Licence v3.0.

Spending per pupil

This school£25,246
Typical special / other school£29,008

Total expenditure ÷ pupils, academy finance return (DfE Schools Financial Benchmarking, latest year). Higher spending is not a measure of quality. It often reflects greater pupil need or a smaller school. Open Government Licence v3.0.

Inspection history since 2015

Ofsted management information. Ungraded and monitoring visits do not award a new grade. How the two inspection systems work.

Nearby schools