Welcombe Hills School, Stratford-upon-Avon
Welcombe Hills School is a special school for pupils aged 2 to 19 in Stratford-upon-Avon, part of Unity MAT. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2023.
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2023)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Welcombe Hills School in detail
Welcombe Hills School in its own words
In its own words: "Please use the links below to navigate the pages within the About Us menu:"
From the headteacher's welcome: "It is a pleasure to welcome you to Welcombe Hills, a 4-19 special needs school in Stratford-upon-Avon, which is part of the Unity MAT. Our school has two separate sites: the main site on Blue Cap Road, and our Hub on Drayton Avenue, which is mainly 16-19 year old students."
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
The trust
Welcombe Hills School is one of 3 schools run by Unity MAT, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 12 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 100% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 8% to a further education college.
Who goes there
44.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 4.1% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
Almost every pupil at Welcombe Hills School has an education, health and care plan (170 of 170 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Stratford-upon-Avon Rail Station, about 1170 metres away (roughly a 15-minute walk).
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Clopton Road (adjacent), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Welcombe Hills 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 234 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Warwickshire (88), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Welcombe Hills School issued 10 suspensions, 5.7 for every 100 pupils, and 1 permanent exclusion.
Sources: 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 · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Sixth Form
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its November 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Sixth form.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Leadership & management (Requires Improvement), Early years (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
44.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Latest from Welcombe Hills School
Royal Shakespeare Company Workshop 🎭🏀
3 Sep 2026
Week 3 of our Readathon is all about Reading with Friends.....✨📚
3 Sep 2026
Welcombe Hills School Council | Making a Difference Together 📣
3 Sep 2026
Tuesday performance
3 Sep 2026
Hello Spring! 🌼
3 Sep 2026
Easter fun at our HUB 🐰🐣🎸
3 Sep 2026
From Welcombe Hills School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Welcombe Hills School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Welcombe Hills School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Welcombe Hills School is in Warwickshire; for families living there:
- Warwickshire's school travel policy: Free school transport for students under the age of 16
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
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 Warwickshire is 7 (the median across 286 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
Area Demand Pressure - Stratford-upon-Avon
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Stratford-upon-Avon
Across Warwickshire council
Places available
7,662
Applications
6,716
Got 1st preference
82.3%
Got preferred school
97.2%
All secondary applications across Warwickshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(3)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
170
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
170
Total Pupils
120
Boys
50
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
24
Teachers
7.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,955
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
11.1%
Overall absence
31.7%
Persistent absence
139
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
Welcombe Hills School
Questions parents ask about Welcombe Hills School
What are SATs results like at Welcombe Hills School?
Of the pupils at Welcombe Hills School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 0% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is Welcombe Hills School's Ofsted rating?
Welcombe Hills School was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2013 it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Welcombe Hills School?
No fixed boundary. When Welcombe Hills School is oversubscribed, Warwickshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Welcombe Hills School?
Welcombe Hills School has around 170 pupils on roll. 45% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Welcombe Hills School?
11.1% of sessions were missed at Welcombe Hills School in 2024/25. 31.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Welcombe Hills School?
Apply through Warwickshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Welcombe Hills 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 Welcombe Hills School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 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 Warwickshire is 7 (the median across 286 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Welcombe Hills School?
Welcombe Hills School is at Blue Cap Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 6TQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)