Lime Hills Academy, Nailsea
Lime Hills Academy is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 16 in Nailsea, part of Cabot Learning Federation.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Lime Hills Academy in detail
Lime Hills Academy in its own words
In its own words: "To consistently deliver excellent educational experiences for pupils aged 3-19, improving their life chances and serving the communities of which we are a member. The core purpose of the CLF is at the HEART of all we do."
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to the Cabot Learning Federation (CLF). Our family of schools has been serving families as a multi academy trust in the South West region since 2009. Our Federation was created to enable staff to collaborate and work more closely together to deliver the best education possible for the pupils who attend our academies."
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Lime Hills Academy are Ravenswood School (under 0.1 miles, Good); Seven Hills (3.6 miles, Good); North Star 240° (6.1 miles, Good); and Kingsweston School (6.1 miles, Good).
Ravenswood SchoolSeven HillsNorth Star 240°Kingsweston School
The trust
Lime Hills Academy is one of 36 schools run by Cabot Learning Federation, an academy trust.
What parents say
14 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Lime Hills Academy (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 93% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (79%).
Who goes there
70.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 0% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (88%) and Mixed (9%).
Almost every pupil at Lime Hills Academy has an education, health and care plan (57 of 57 in 2026). The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Nailsea & Backwell Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Kingshill School (w-bound), 140 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Lime Hills Academy stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 8th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Lime Hills Academy issued 103 suspensions, 187.3 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school is exceptional at transforming pupils' lives. Many arrive with negative views of education, but through caring staff relationships and a nurturing environment, they develop confidence and a strong sense of self-worth. The outstanding personal development programme, with opportunities like swimming, football, mountain biking and theatre visits, helps pupils discover new interests and build important life skills like teamwork and conflict resolution.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding personal development programme with exceptional outdoor learning, sports, and creative arts opportunities - pupils develop resilience, teamwork and strong cultural knowledge
- Effective reading instruction using phonics with strong support for pupils to catch up, with pupils enjoying reading and developing fluency
- Excellent careers programme tailored to pupils' individual needs and aspirations, developing employability skills
- Strong support for pupils' social, emotional and mental health with calm, purposeful atmosphere and effective behaviour strategies
- Well-designed personalised curriculum addressing pupils' SEND needs
Areas for Improvement
- In a few subjects, the sequence of key knowledge is not clearly structured, meaning pupils do not learn as well as they could
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school maintaining a culture that prioritises pupils' interests and safety.
Extracurricular Activities
Swimming, football, mountain biking, theatre visits, music composition, school council, outdoor learning activities
Lime Hills Academy is a special school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs where all pupils have an education, health and care plan. The school transforms pupils' views of education through caring relationships and achieves good standards across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, with outstanding personal development.
At a Glance
70.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
14 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Lime Hills Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Lime Hills Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Lime Hills Academy is in North Somerset; for families living there:
Apply to North Somerset for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 North Somerset is 5 (the median across 85 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
88%
Available places
57 pupils
65 places
8 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Nailsea
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Nailsea
Across North Somerset council
Places available
2,656
Applications
2,256
Got 1st preference
95.3%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All secondary applications across North Somerset council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
57
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
57
Total Pupils
44
Boys
13
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
4.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,998
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
22.0%
Overall absence
54.5%
Persistent absence
55
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Lime Hills Academy
What are GCSE results like at Lime Hills Academy?
In the 2025 results, pupils at Lime Hills Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 2.2. 0% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is the catchment area for Lime Hills Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Lime Hills Academy is oversubscribed, North Somerset allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Lime Hills Academy?
Lime Hills Academy has around 57 pupils on roll. 70% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Lime Hills Academy?
22% of sessions were missed at Lime Hills Academy in 2024/25. 54.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Lime Hills Academy?
Apply through North Somerset's coordinated admissions process, naming Lime Hills Academy on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Lime Hills Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 North Somerset is 5 (the median across 85 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Lime Hills Academy?
Lime Hills Academy is at Pound Lane, Nailsea, BS48 2NN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)