SCHOOL PROFILE

Discovery Special Academy

Not applicable Free schools special URN 145877
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 181 Published school capacity
Capacity used 103.3% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 2 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

18 January 2023
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Free schools special
Phase Not applicable
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Middlesbrough
Trust TEES VALLEY EDUCATION
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 187 175 full-time · 12 part-time
Female pupils 74 39.6% of pupils
Male pupils 113 60.4% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

74.9%
50.1 pts above England
School 74.9%
Middlesbrough 44.2%
North East 32.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

19.8%
0.5 pts below England
School 19.8%
Middlesbrough 22.1%
North East 10.0%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Middlesbrough 0.6%
North East 0.9%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
69.0%
129
Any other Asian background
5.3%
10
Any other Mixed background
5.3%
10
White and Asian
3.7%
7
Pakistani
3.2%
6
Any other White background
2.7%
5
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% 187 of 187 pupils
79.2 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 100.0%
Middlesbrough 22.7%
North East 22.6%
England 20.8%
SEN support 1.6% 3 pupils
England 14.8% 13.2 pts below
EHC plans 98.4% 184 pupils
England 6.0% 92.4 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Severe learning difficulty 187

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%
Middlesbrough 60.1%
North East 61.1%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

0.0%

73.8 pts below England

School 0.0%
Middlesbrough 72.2%
North East 73.1%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

0.0%

70.3 pts below England

School 0.0%
Middlesbrough 70.8%
North East 71.1%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

0.0%

72.0 pts below England

School 0.0%
Middlesbrough 71.2%
North East 72.3%
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

6.78%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.56 pts higher than England
School 6.78%
Middlesbrough 6.89%
North East 6.28%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

19.44%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

3.63 pts higher than England
School 19.44%
Middlesbrough 19.32%
North East 16.04%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

0.69%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.11 pts lower than England
School 0.69%
Middlesbrough 2.63%
North East 1.83%
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

103.3% 23.5 pts above England
Discovery Special Academy
103.3%
Middlesbrough
80.4%
North East
88.8%
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