SCHOOL PROFILE

Furze Down School

Not applicable Community special school URN 110585
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 220 Published school capacity
Capacity used 101.4% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 4 – 19 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

21 February 2024
Latest published outcome School remains Outstanding
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

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

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 223 223 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 65 29.1% of pupils
Male pupils 158 70.9% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

30.9%
6.1 pts above England
School 30.9%
Buckinghamshire 14.9%
South East 19.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

4.5%
15.8 pts below England
School 4.5%
Buckinghamshire 18.4%
South East 15.6%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.9%
0.1 pts below England
School 0.9%
Buckinghamshire 2.0%
South East 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
75.3%
168
White and Black Caribbean
5.4%
12
African
3.1%
7
Pakistani
3.1%
7
Indian
2.2%
5
Any other White background
1.8%
4
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% 223 of 223 pupils
79.2 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 100.0%
Buckinghamshire 18.9%
South East 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 0.0% 0 pupils
England 14.8% 14.8 pts below
EHC plans 100.0% 223 pupils
England 6.0% 94.0 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 111
Speech, language & communication 78
Social, emotional & mental health 11
Moderate learning difficulty 7
Physical disability 7
Specific learning difficulty 4

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 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

1.9 37.3 pts below England
School 1.9
Buckinghamshire 46.7
South East 38.5
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 0.0% England 36.0% 36.0 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 0.0% England 51.4% 51.4 pts below England
EBacc entry 0.0% England 30.6% 30.6 pts below England
EBacc average point score 0.08 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -1.50 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority 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

13.53%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

7.31 pts higher than England
School 13.53%
Buckinghamshire 5.98%
South East 6.30%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

34.62%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

18.80 pts higher than England
School 34.62%
Buckinghamshire 14.74%
South East 15.75%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

7.69%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

5.89 pts higher than England
School 7.69%
Buckinghamshire 1.60%
South East 1.93%
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

101.4% 21.6 pts above England
Furze Down School
101.4%
Buckinghamshire
74.7%
South East
79.9%
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