Gilbert Ward Academy
Special school school · Free schools special · ages 11 to 16 · Mixed
Princess Louise Road, Blyth, NE24 2TS
- Pupils83
- Ages11 to 16
- Latest Ofsted6 May 2026
- FundingState-funded
Ofsted inspections
Shown exactly as Ofsted published them, each with its own date.
Report card · 6 May 2026
- InclusionExpected standard
- Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
- AchievementNeeds attention
- Attendance and behaviourNeeds attention
- Personal development and well-beingExpected standard
- Leadership and governanceNeeds attention
- SafeguardingMet
Report card grades run from Exceptional to Urgent improvement (five steps, left to right). Ofsted says “expected standard” means the school is doing everything it should — “It’s a high standard”. What the grades mean.
S5 Inspection · report published 18 Jun 2026
Read the full reports on Ofsted’s website (opens in a new tab) — they explain the reasons behind each grade.
Source: Ofsted, state-funded school inspections and outcomes: management information (latest inspections as at 30 September 2026). Newer inspections may be on Ofsted’s website. How Ofsted inspections work.
Results
GCSE results (end of Year 11, key stage 4)
Latest: 2025/26 (provisional) · 10 pupils. Each figure shows its year. What these mean
2025/26 results are provisional: the DfE will revise them (next update due February 2027). The provisional data has no EBacc figures, so EBacc is from an earlier year.
Attainment 8 score
Each pupil’s results across 8 qualifications (maths counts double, and English usually does too), averaged across the school. It partly reflects pupils’ starting points.
2025/26 (provisional)
Grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSEs
Often called a “strong pass” in both subjects.
2025/26 (provisional)
Grade 4 or above in English and maths GCSEs
Often called a “standard pass” in both subjects.
2025/26 (provisional)
Progress 8 score
Compares pupils’ Attainment 8 results with pupils across England who had similar results at the end of primary school. 0 means about the same; above 0 means more progress, below 0 less. How to read Progress 8.
No Progress 8 score
The Department for Education says Progress 8 can’t be calculated for 2024/25 or 2025/26, because those pupils had no key stage 2 test results (the tests were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19).
Results describe one group of pupils in one year, so they can change a lot — especially in small schools. The DfE says “conclusions should not be drawn on a single piece of data alone.” This school on the DfE’s performance tables (opens in a new tab).
Source: Department for Education, school performance tables and Explore education statistics (key stage 4, 2025/26 provisional). England and local authority figures are the DfE’s own, for the same year.
Pupils and attendance
- Pupils
- 83 (capacity 80)
18 girls, 65 boys - Eligible for free school meals
- 71.1% (currently eligible, census of January 2026)
Pupils with SEN support
Special educational needs, without an education, health and care (EHC) plan.
2024/25
Pupils with an EHC plan
An education, health and care plan sets out the support a child must get.
2024/25
Eligible for free school meals at any time in the last 6 years
2024/25
First language not English
This is not a measure of how well pupils speak English.
2024/25
Attendance
Overall absence
The share of possible mornings and afternoons missed, for any reason (authorised or not).
2024/25
Persistent absence
Pupils who missed 10% or more of their possible sessions.
2024/25
Sources: Get Information about Schools; DfE school census and absence statistics via the performance tables. What these figures mean.
About the school
- Type
- Free schools special (Free Schools)
- Trust
- PROSPER LEARNING TRUST
- Sponsor
- Prosper Learning Trust
- Boys, girls or mixed
- Mixed
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Sixth form
- Does not have a sixth form
- Opened
- 1 September 2023
- Local authority
- Northumberland
- Parliamentary constituency
- Blyth and Ashington
- URN
- 149842 (the DfE’s reference number for the school)
Source: Get Information about Schools (Department for Education). See the full record (opens in a new tab).
Admissions
A school named in a child’s education, health and care (EHC) plan must give them a place. Ask your council about places at special schools.
How school admissions work: deadlines, oversubscription and appeals.