Bushbury School, Wolverhampton
Bushbury School is a special school for pupils aged 7 to 19 in Wolverhampton. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2026, ended in a report card: 6 expected standard.
- Ofsted report card
- 0 of 6 areas strong or better
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Bushbury School in detail
What Ofsted's report card says
Ofsted's report card from its 3 February 2026 inspection grades Bushbury School on 6 areas: 6 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.
Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils achieve well."
Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Pupils attend the school well despite often starting with low attendance in previous settings."
Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "The school has worked extensively to design an ambitious curriculum specific to pupils' needs and starting points, given all pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities."
Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders act quickly to identify each pupil's needs."
Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have worked very effectively, supported by the proprietor body, to establish this new provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities."
Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The school has designed a thoughtful and effective programme to develop pupils' personal development."
Safeguarding standards were met.
Ofsted's next steps for the school: "• The school should embed the consistency with which teachers use agreed communication strategies for pupils, and how they adapt the learning tasks to build on what the pupils already know".
Read the full report card on Ofsted's site (school website)
Source: Ofsted report card (Open Government Licence), quoted
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Bushbury School are Woodbury School (under 0.1 miles, Good); Westcroft School (0.8 miles, Good); Pine Green Academy (2.2 miles, Requires improvement); and Broadmeadow Special School (2.4 miles, Good).
Woodbury SchoolWestcroft SchoolPine Green AcademyBroadmeadow Special School
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Bushbury School has an education, health and care plan (29 of 29 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Wolverhampton Rail Station, about 2.4 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Broadway (adjacent), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Bushbury School stands in is among the 20% 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 · 8 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since January 2026 for independent schools)
Safeguarding standards met
- AchievementExpected standard
- Attendance and behaviourExpected standard
- Curriculum and teachingExpected standard
- InclusionExpected standard
- Leadership and governanceExpected standard
- Personal development and wellbeingExpected standard
Safeguarding standards: met
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's report card, in its own words
What it's like to be a pupil at Bushbury School
This is a school where pupils are openly accepted and celebrated for who they are. They feel known and cared for as individuals. As a result, pupils believe in the school and what it has to offer. The school takes the time to know and understand its pupils and their needs, in which all pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and all have education, health and care plans. Pupils feel safe to show their vulnerabilities, and so they become ready to learn. Aspirations are high for pupils. The school has carefully considered the key learning that pupils need to live healthy, independent and fulfilling lives. In this, the school demonstrates its values so that pupils are 'responsible, respectful and ready'. Teachers typically match pupils' learning well to their starting points. They take account of their needs well. Staff always consider what is best for each individual pupil and how their learning should grow and build. This helps pupils to enjoy their learning and their experience of school. Pupils especially enjoy the visits that the school organises for them, including to a local farm and museum. These experiences help pupils to develop their confidence and independence and prepares them well for life beyond school. As pupils feel understood by staff, they behave well. They typically treat each other with respect and understanding. Pupils attend well as they enjoy school. This is despite many pupils having had disjointed experiences of education before arriving at Bushbury School.
What Ofsted says the school should do next
- • The school should embed the consistency with which teachers use agreed communication strategies for pupils, and how they adapt the learning tasks to build on what the pupils already know.
From Ofsted's report card (inspection 3 February 2026). Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Bushbury School excels at knowing and understanding each pupil as an individual, celebrating who they are and making them feel safe, cared for and ready to learn. The school has thoughtfully designed its curriculum to prepare pupils for independent living, further education and employment, with high aspirations for every child. Parents speak very highly of the school's transformative impact on their children, and pupils particularly enjoy the visits and experiences the school organises to build their confidence and prepare them for life beyond school.
Key Strengths
- Pupils achieve well on pathways appropriate to their needs, with careful measurement of progress and secure core knowledge
- Strong attendance and positive pupil behaviour due to effective understanding of individual needs and nurturing school environment
- Ambitious, well-designed curriculum across 3 pathways with enrichment through key texts, cultural learning, and preparation for independence and employment
- Thorough identification and assessment of pupils' needs with detailed information translated into specific strategies for each pupil
- Extensive staff training and support from leaders to deliver curriculum effectively, including training specific to pupils' special educational needs
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent use of agreed communication strategies across all staff, which can miss opportunities for pupils to develop communication and speech
- Occasional variation in how staff apply agreed approaches to support pupil behaviour and learning
- Need to embed consistency in how teachers adapt learning tasks to build on what pupils already know
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed, making pupils safer and helping them feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Visits to local places of worship, local attractions, local farm, museum, independent careers advice, workplace visits
Bushbury School is a specialist provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities that has been established effectively by leaders and the proprietor body. The school creates a nurturing, inclusive environment where pupils feel accepted, safe and ready to learn.
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 Bushbury School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 7 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 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
73%
Available places
29 pupils
40 places
11 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Wolverhampton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wolverhampton
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(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
29
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Bushbury 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
29
Total Pupils
21
Boys
8
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Bushbury School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Bushbury School
Does Bushbury School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in February 2026, Bushbury School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Bushbury School?
Bushbury School has around 29 pupils on roll.
Does Bushbury School have specialist SEN provision?
Bushbury School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Bushbury School?
Bushbury 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 Bushbury School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 7 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 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 Bushbury School?
Bushbury School is at Hellier Road, Bushbury, Wolverhampton, WV10 8ED.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)