SCHOOL PROFILE

Pens Meadow School

Not applicable Community special school URN 103883
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 155 Published school capacity
Capacity used 93.5% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 3 – 19 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

14 May 2025
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

26 November 2019
Graded inspection Good
Published 6 January 2020
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Community special school
Phase Not applicable
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Dudley
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 145 131 full-time · 14 part-time
Female pupils 52 35.9% of pupils
Male pupils 93 64.1% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

42.8%
18.0 pts above England
School 42.8%
Dudley 27.8%
West Midlands 30.6%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

10.3%
10.0 pts below England
School 10.3%
Dudley 13.2%
West Midlands 22.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Dudley 0.2%
West Midlands 0.6%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
62.1%
90
Pakistani
13.1%
19
African
4.8%
7
Any other ethnic group
4.8%
7
Any other Black background
2.1%
3
Any other Mixed background
2.1%
3
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 100.0% 145 of 145 pupils
79.2 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 100.0%
Dudley 20.7%
West Midlands 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 4.8% 7 pupils
England 14.8% 10.0 pts below
EHC plans 95.2% 138 pupils
England 6.0% 89.1 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Severe learning difficulty 49
Autistic spectrum disorder 44
Speech, language & communication 21
Multi-sensory impairment 11
Physical disability 9
Specific learning difficulty 6

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

0.0% 60.4 pts below England
School 0.0%
Dudley 61.2%
West Midlands 60.0%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

0.0%

73.8 pts below England

School 0.0%
Dudley 74.2%
West Midlands 73.0%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

0.0%

70.3 pts below England

School 0.0%
Dudley 72.0%
West Midlands 69.9%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

0.0%

72.0 pts below England

School 0.0%
Dudley 73.2%
West Midlands 71.4%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

15.16%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

8.95 pts higher than England
School 15.16%
Dudley 6.50%
West Midlands 6.28%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

46.43%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

30.61 pts higher than England
School 46.43%
Dudley 17.87%
West Midlands 16.42%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

9.52%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

7.72 pts higher than England
School 9.52%
Dudley 2.10%
West Midlands 1.82%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open not applicable schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

93.5% 13.8 pts above England
Pens Meadow School
93.5%
Dudley
78.3%
West Midlands
76.9%
England
79.8%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information