New Barn School, Newbury
New Barn School is a special school for pupils aged 6 to 19 in Newbury. It was rated Inadequate at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2025. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2026 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Inadequate (2025)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
New Barn School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to New Barn School are Mary Hare School (3.7 miles, Good); The Castle School (4.5 miles, Outstanding); Northcroft Vocational School (5.3 miles); and Oaklands School (5.3 miles).
Mary Hare SchoolThe Castle SchoolNorthcroft Vocational SchoolOaklands School
What parents say
25 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about New Barn School (as of September 2025): 36% would recommend the school, 48% say their child is happy there and 25% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (48%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (25%).
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at New Barn School has an education, health and care plan (71 of 71 in 2026).
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of New Barn School.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Welford Park (s-bound), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 0 crimes within a mile of the school. That is well below the typical figure around schools in West Berkshire (26).
Sources: 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 6 months agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Did not meet the independent school standards in Part 1 (quality of education) and Part 8 (leadership and management).
- Part 1: quality of educationNot met
- 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 managementNot met
Progress-monitoring inspection, 22 April 2026: The school did not meet all the standards Ofsted checked.
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
New Barn School has established strong safeguarding systems and a respectful school culture where pupils feel safe and cared for. The school effectively supports pupils' personal, social and emotional development through a well-structured PSHE curriculum and positive behaviour management. New leadership has brought specialist expertise and is working to improve staff morale through better support and professional development opportunities.
Key Strengths
- Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong systems for tracking concerns and keeping pupils safe
- Behaviour policy is implemented consistently across both sites, resulting in reduced suspensions and incidents
- New leadership team has specialist knowledge and is introducing professional development to improve teaching
- PSHE curriculum is well-designed and helps pupils understand British values and become respectful citizens
- Staff morale and confidence are improving with better support and reduced reliance on temporary staff
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching quality remains too varied - staff lack sufficient subject knowledge and do not explain concepts clearly enough
- Curriculum is not taught well enough in all subjects, limiting pupil progress
- Assessment information is not used effectively to identify and address gaps in pupil learning
- Some younger pupils continue to miss learning due to timetable implementation issues
- The action plan submitted to the Department for Education was deemed unsatisfactory
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective with a robust system for recording and monitoring concerns, proper recruitment checks in place, and pupils reporting they feel safe and trust staff.
Extracurricular Activities
Extensive enrichment programme enabling pupils to pursue hobbies and interests, work with visitors such as police, outdoor activities and educational trips
New Barn School is an independent school that does not currently meet all independent school standards. While the school has made some progress with new leadership and improved safeguarding, significant weaknesses remain in curriculum delivery and teaching quality.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
25 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Latest from New Barn School
Willow Farm’s Newsletter
17 Aug 2026
Riverivew’s Newsletter
17 Aug 2026
Easter Holiday Madness!
13 Apr 2026
Willow Farm’s Newsletter
30 Mar 2026
Riverview’s Newsletter
26 Mar 2026
World Book Day Activities
4 Mar 2026
From New Barn School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with New Barn School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 West Berkshire is 3 (the median across 99 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
71 pupils
130 places
59 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Newbury
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Newbury
Across West Berkshire council
Places available
2,143
Applications
1,680
Got 1st preference
94.9%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All secondary applications across West Berkshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(10)
Independent school Progress Monitoring inspection
Outcome: the school did not meet all the standards Ofsted checked.
Independent School standard inspection
Did not meet the independent school standards in Part 1 (quality of education) and Part 8 (leadership and management).
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
71
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
New Barn 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
71
Total Pupils
63
Boys
8
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
New Barn School
Questions parents ask about New Barn School
What are GCSE results like at New Barn 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 New Barn School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is New Barn School's Ofsted rating?
New Barn School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2026, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2025, it was rated Inadequate.
Does New Barn School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in September 2025, New Barn School did not meet the independent school standards in Part 1 (quality of education) and Part 8 (leadership and management). At a later progress-monitoring inspection in April 2026, the school did not meet all the standards Ofsted checked.
How many pupils go to New Barn School?
New Barn School has around 71 pupils on roll.
Does New Barn School have specialist SEN provision?
New Barn School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to New Barn School?
New Barn 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 New Barn School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 West Berkshire is 3 (the median across 99 schools, same distance and years).
Where is New Barn School?
New Barn School is at Welford, Newbury, Newbury, RG20 8HZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)