SCHOOL PROFILE

Bleasdale School

Not applicable Community special school URN 119861
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 85 Published school capacity
Capacity used 103.5% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 2 – 19 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

23 April 2024
Latest published outcome Outstanding
OEIF
Quality of education Outstanding
Behaviour & attitudes Outstanding
Personal development Outstanding
Leadership & management Outstanding
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

28 June 2023
Ungraded inspection School remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next
Published 31 July 2023
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

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

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 88 88 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 28 31.8% of pupils
Male pupils 60 68.2% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

50.0%
25.2 pts above England
School 50.0%
Lancaster 25.2%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

9.1%
11.2 pts below England
School 9.1%
Lancaster 10.2%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Lancaster 0.0%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
87.5%
77
Any other Asian background
3.4%
3
African
1.1%
1
Any other White background
1.1%
1
Any other ethnic group
1.1%
1
Indian
1.1%
1
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% 88 of 88 pupils
79.2 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 100.0%
Lancaster 22.5%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 0.0% 0 pupils
England 14.8% 14.8 pts below
EHC plans 100.0% 88 pupils
England 6.0% 94.0 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 36
Speech, language & communication 20
Profound & multiple learning difficulty 16
Severe learning difficulty 5
Moderate learning difficulty 4
Other difficulty or disability 3

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%
Lancaster 54.8%
North West 59.1%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

0.0%

73.8 pts below England

School 0.0%
Lancaster 70.5%
North West 73.2%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

0.0%

70.3 pts below England

School 0.0%
Lancaster 65.4%
North West 69.2%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

0.0%

72.0 pts below England

School 0.0%
Lancaster 68.0%
North West 71.7%
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

12.37%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

6.16 pts higher than England
School 12.37%
Lancaster 6.05%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

36.96%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

21.14 pts higher than England
School 36.96%
Lancaster 15.24%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

4.35%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

2.54 pts higher than England
School 4.35%
Lancaster 1.38%
North West 1.75%
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

103.5% 23.7 pts above England
Bleasdale School
103.5%
Lancaster
84.7%
North West
82.4%
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