Bow Street School, Bilston
Bow Street School is a special school for pupils aged 13 to 16 in Bilston. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Bow Street School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Bow Street School are Green Park School (0.9 miles, Good); Wolverhampton Vocational Training Centre (1 mile, Good); Rosewood School (1.2 miles, Good); and The Rowan School (1.6 miles).
Green Park SchoolWolverhampton Vocational Training CentreRosewood SchoolThe Rowan School
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Bow Street School has an education, health and care plan (11 of 11 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Bilston Central (West Midlands Metro), about 170 metres away (roughly a 2-minute walk).
18 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Mountford Lane (opposite), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Bow Street School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Bow Street School excels at helping pupils who have faced significant challenges feel safe, valued and confident. Staff use personalised support based on each pupil's individual needs, with a calm and patient approach that helps pupils settle quickly and get back on track with their education. The school's ambition is clear - to build young people's confidence in education and prepare them with both qualifications and essential life skills for their futures.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading with specialist phonics teaching that builds pupil confidence and fluency
- Well-designed English curriculum with teachers who adapt lessons to help each pupil progress
- Effective personal development through structured PSHE curriculum covering healthy relationships, online safety, and mental wellbeing
- Excellent work experience programme with local environmental charity that develops life skills
- High expectations for behaviour supported by positive relationships and reward systems
Areas for Improvement
- Curriculum beyond English and mathematics needs further development with inconsistent embedding across subject areas
- Need to evaluate the impact of recently developed technology curriculum to ensure pupils gain sufficient knowledge and skills
- Broader curriculum knowledge and skills across all subject areas need strengthening
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong systems in place that prioritise pupil wellbeing and safety.
Extracurricular Activities
Work experience with local environmental charity, therapy dog (Winston), reward systems including takeaway Friday
Bow Street School is a small independent special school for pupils aged 13-16 with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. The school creates a calm, inclusive learning environment where pupils feel safe and are well prepared for their next steps.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Bow Street School
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 51
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 8
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 51 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 43 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 3 on a bicycle.
10 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Wolverhampton is 24 (the median across 126 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
55%
Available places
11 pupils
20 places
9 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Bilston
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bilston
Across Wolverhampton council
Places available
3,951
Applications
3,467
Got 1st preference
74.8%
Got preferred school
93.7%
All secondary applications across Wolverhampton council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Bow Street School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
11
Total Pupils
7
Boys
4
Girls
2026 academic year
Questions parents ask about Bow Street School
What are GCSE results like at Bow Street School?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Bow Street School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is Bow Street School's Ofsted rating?
Bow Street School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2025.
Does Bow Street School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in January 2025, Bow Street School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Bow Street School?
Bow Street School has around 11 pupils on roll.
Does Bow Street School have specialist SEN provision?
Bow Street School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Bow Street School?
Bow Street School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Bow Street School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 51 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 43 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 3 on a bicycle. 10 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Wolverhampton is 24 (the median across 126 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Bow Street School?
Bow Street School is at Bow Street, Bilston, Bilston, WV14 7NB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)