Courtlands School, Plymouth

Ofsted's report card from its 10 February 2026 inspection grades Courtlands School on 6 areas: 2 expected standard and 4 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Inclusion - Expected standard. "The support for pupils' special educational needs and/or disabilities is carefully considered."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The school prioritises communication and preparation for adulthood."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Although the curriculum now supports pupils to learn and develop, many are still working to overcome significant gaps in their knowledge and skills."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "In recent years, the school has seen a steady increase in the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Leaders' work to assure themselves that the curriculum is having the impact that they intend is in its infancy."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Although governors play a central role in school improvement, they do not have a precise picture of the impact that the school has for different groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should monitor the impact of the curriculum as it continues to embed across the school. They should maintain a detailed picture of the quality of the curriculum and teaching and use this to target further improvements"; "Leaders should be clear what they want pupils to know and remember about the wider world and the different types of people that they will meet. They should develop teaching approaches to help pupils to retain and build on this knowledge"; "Leaders should develop a more strategic approach to reducing persistent absence. This should be informed by a detailed analysis of the trends affecting pupils with different barriers and disadvantages"; "Governors should gain a detailed understanding of the impact of the school's work upon the attendance, behaviour and achievement of different groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils. They should use this knowledge to direct their improvement priorities".

In its own words: "Welcome to Courtlands School. Courtlands Special School Academy caters for primary aged children who have moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMH), and other complex needs. Within this there is a wide range of needs, such as children with mild medical issues, developmental disorders such as ADHD and Dyspraxia, Autism and speech and language difficulties."

The nearest other special schools to Courtlands School are Cann Bridge School (1.3 miles, Good); Woodlands School (1.4 miles, Good); Brook Green Centre for Learning (1.6 miles, Outstanding); and Mill Ford School (2.2 miles, Outstanding).

Courtlands School is one of 20 schools run by Reach South Academy Trust, an academy trust.

23 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Courtlands School (as of September 2025): 96% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 60% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (60%).

58.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 4% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.

Almost every pupil at Courtlands School has an education, health and care plan (101 of 101 in 2026). The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.

Courtlands School has a SEN unit for social, emotional and mental health needs and moderate learning difficulties: 100 places, 100 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Plymouth Rail Station, about 1.9 miles away in a straight line.

10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Conyngham Court (s-bound), 90 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Courtlands School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 106 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Plymouth (196).

In 2024/25, Courtlands School issued 45 suspensions, 41.7 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.