Lime Academy Hartwell
Special school school · Free schools special · ages 11 to 19
1 York Street, Luton, LU2 0EZ
- Pupils121
- Ages11 to 19
- Latest Ofsted14 Feb 2024
- FundingState-funded
Ofsted inspections
Shown exactly as Ofsted published them, each with its own date.
Graded inspection · 14 Feb 2024
This inspection was of a predecessor school (Windmill Hill School), before it reopened under its current reference number. Ofsted says grades of a predecessor school can’t, in law, transfer to the new one.
Category of concern: Serious weaknesses. What this means.
Overall effectiveness: Inadequate
- Quality of educationInadequate
- Behaviour and attitudesRequires improvement
- Personal developmentRequires improvement
- Leadership and managementInadequate
- Safeguarding is effectiveYes
Grades run from Outstanding to Inadequate (four steps, left to right).
S5 Inspection · report published 24 Apr 2024
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) · 38 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
- 121 (capacity 120)
24 girls, 97 boys - Eligible for free school meals
- 41.3% (currently eligible, census of January 2026)
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
- LIME TRUST
- Sponsor
- Lime Trust
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Sixth form
- Has a sixth form
- Opened
- 1 April 2025
- Local authority
- Luton
- Parliamentary constituency
- Luton South and South Bedfordshire
- URN
- 151866 (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.