Gilbert Ward Academy
Special / other · Blyth · NE24 2TS
Report-card inspection (current system, from November 2025)
The headline grade shown is the Achievement area of the school's report card.
Inspected 6 May 2026 · report published 18 June 2026
Read the Ofsted report ↗At a glance
83 pupils · 100% of 80 capacity
- School type
- Free schools special
- Age range
- 11–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Free school meals
- 71.1% of pupils
- English as additional language
- 0% of pupils
- SEN support
- 0% of pupils
- EHC plan
- 100% of pupils
- URN
- 149842
Attendance (2025/26 autumn term)
Autumn-term absence, DfE pupil absence data. Lower is better.
Staffing
Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.
Teacher retention (2024/25)
90% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 10% moved to another state school
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
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
- 6 May 2026: Needs attention
Ofsted management information. Ungraded and monitoring visits do not award a new grade. How the two inspection systems work.