Pens Meadow School, Pensnett
Pens Meadow School is a special school for pupils aged 3 to 19 in Pensnett. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Pens Meadow School in detail
Pens Meadow School in its own words
In its own words: "We aim to work in partnership with all our stakeholders to create an environment where pupils with complex needs are supported to achieve their full potential. We will enable our pupils to be active participants in school, at home and in the wider community."
From the headteacher's welcome: "My name is Marie Hunter and I am proud to be Headteacher of Pens Meadow School. I have taught in Special Schools for over thirty years and been Headteacher here since 2008."
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 Pens Meadow School are The Brier School (0.6 miles); Sunny Hill School (1 mile); Sutton School (1.7 miles, Good); and Glasshouse College (1.9 miles, Good).
The Brier SchoolSunny Hill SchoolSutton SchoolGlasshouse College
What parents say
20 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Pens Meadow School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% 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 the school has high expectations for their child (85%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 7 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 100% stayed in education or training for at least two terms.
Who goes there
42.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 10.3% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (62%), Asian (17%) and Black (8%).
Almost every pupil at Pens Meadow School has an education, health and care plan (138 of 145 in 2026). The most common need among them is a severe learning difficulty.
Pens Meadow School provides for pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, visual impairment, other difficulties or disabilities, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Lye (West Midlands) Rail Station, about 2.5 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Pensnett School (opposite), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Pens Meadow School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Pens Meadow School issued 8 suspensions, 7 for every 100 pupils, and 1 permanent exclusion.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; 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 agoThis judgement is from November 2019, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Sixth Form
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Pens Meadow is a caring school where your child will feel supported and happy. The staff quickly understand your child's needs and put the right help in place from day one. The school is ambitious for all pupils and prepares them brilliantly for life after school through community visits, work experience, and practical life skills - so they leave ready for their next steps.
Key Strengths
- Pupils' SEND are quickly identified and understood, with right provision put in place immediately - transfer between main and post-14 sites is particularly well managed
- Strong focus on communication skills - staff ensure all pupils have the right tools to express their needs before accessing the curriculum
- Reading is prioritized across the school, from story time for early learners through to phonics lessons and fluent reading
- Excellent preparation for life after school, including sixth-form life skills like cooking and accessing health services
- Well-matched activities in most lessons with careful checking of understanding, resulting in good subject knowledge building
Areas for Improvement
- In some subjects, some teachers do not follow the agreed curriculum sequence closely enough, resulting in gaps in pupils' knowledge and skills
- Some teachers do not use assessment well enough to check understanding - misconceptions are not identified or addressed quickly enough
- When activities are not well matched to learning intentions, pupils miss out on building knowledge systematically
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with leaders prioritizing pupils' interests and creating an open, positive culture around safeguarding.
Extracurricular Activities
Local park visits for wildlife and teamwork, business and college taster days, local charity work, gardening and vegetable growing, sixth-form cooking and life skills programmes
Pens Meadow School is a happy, ambitious special school that has maintained good standards since its last inspection in 2019. The school effectively supports pupils with complex learning and medical needs to make good progress from their individual starting points.
At a Glance
42.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
SpLD, Vision, Other +9
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
20 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Latest from Pens Meadow School
New Dysphagia Menu
16 Jul 2026
New Lunch Menu
1 Apr 2026
Cabinet Members’ visit
9 Sep 2025
AUTUMN 2 ACTIVITIES AT RIDGE HILL
24 Oct 2024
AUTUMN 2 ACTIVITIES AT PENSNETT
24 Oct 2024
TERM DATES 2024-25
19 Jul 2024
From Pens Meadow School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Pens Meadow School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Pens Meadow School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Pens Meadow School is in Dudley; for families living there:
- How to apply: Apply for Education Travel Support
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 14
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 10
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 12 slight.
10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 5 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
4 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 Dudley is 18 (the median across 118 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
94%
Near capacity
145 pupils
155 places
10 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Pensnett
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Pensnett
Across Dudley council
Places available
3,620
Applications
3,570
Got 1st preference
87.1%
Got preferred school
98.0%
All secondary applications across Dudley council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(7)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
7
SEN Support
138
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pens Meadow School provides for pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, visual impairment, other difficulties or disabilities, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
145
Total Pupils
93
Boys
52
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
16
Teachers
9.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£62,730
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
15.2%
Overall absence
46.4%
Persistent absence
84
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
Pens Meadow School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Pens Meadow School
What are SATs results like at Pens Meadow School?
Of the pupils at Pens Meadow School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 0% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is Pens Meadow School's Ofsted rating?
Pens Meadow School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Pens Meadow School?
No fixed boundary. When Pens Meadow School is oversubscribed, Dudley allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Pens Meadow School?
Pens Meadow School has around 145 pupils on roll. 43% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Pens Meadow School have specialist SEN provision?
Pens Meadow School provides for pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, visual impairment, other difficulties or disabilities, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
What is attendance like at Pens Meadow School?
15.2% of sessions were missed at Pens Meadow School in 2024/25. 46.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Pens Meadow School?
Apply through Dudley's coordinated admissions process, naming Pens Meadow School 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 Pens Meadow School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 12 slight. 10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 5 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 4 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 Dudley is 18 (the median across 118 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Pens Meadow School?
Pens Meadow School is at Tiled House Lane, Pensnett, West Midlands, DY5 4LN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)