# Discovery Special Academy

Discovery Special Academy is a special school in Middlesbrough, for pupils aged 2 to 16.

It had 187 pupils at the school census in January 2026.

Special school. Code E145877. [Middlesbrough](https://openindex.co.uk/middlesbrough)

- Phase: Special
- Type: Free schools special
- Ages: 2 to 16
- Pupils: 187
- Council: Middlesbrough
- URN: 145877

## Latest Ofsted outcome

Good (overall), January 2023
- Inspection: Graded inspection, 18 January 2023
- Overall effectiveness: Good
- Quality of education: Good
- Behaviour and attitudes: Good
- Personal development: Good
- Leadership and management: Good
Edition: Latest inspections as at 30 September 2026
Outcomes as Ofsted published them. Report cards (from November 2025) give no overall grade, and grades under different frameworks cannot be compared.

## Results

Source: Department for Education school performance tables (Open Government Licence).

In 2024/25, 0% of pupils at Discovery Special Academy met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 63% in Middlesbrough and 62% in England.
0% reached the higher standard (8% in England).

### End of primary school (KS2): 2024/25

| Measure | This school | Middlesbrough | England |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 63% | 62% |
| Reached the higher standard | 0% | 7% | 8% |
| Average scaled score in reading | Does not apply to this school | 105 | 106 |
| Average scaled score in maths | Does not apply to this school | 105 | 105 |

Discovery Special Academy teaches pupils with needs that most schools' pupils do not have, often in very small year groups, so its results are not a fair comparison with mainstream schools. They are not shown on the map.
Progress scores from KS1 to KS2 were not published for 2024/25, because the KS1 tests that give the starting point were cancelled in 2020 and 2021.
Results reflect the pupils a school admits as well as its teaching, and a year's results can move a lot in a small school.

## Schools nearby

Distances are in a straight line. Admissions and catchments are set by councils and schools.

- [Sunnyside Academy](https://openindex.co.uk/school/sunnyside-academy-e140503): 1 km. Primary. Good (overall), November 2023. 37% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)
- [Outwood Academy Acklam](https://openindex.co.uk/school/outwood-academy-acklam-e139823): 1.1 km. Secondary. Graded inspection, March 2025: no overall grade. Attainment 8 of 41.7 (2025/26, provisional)
- [Trinity Catholic College](https://openindex.co.uk/school/trinity-catholic-college-e142382): 1.1 km. Secondary. Graded inspection, November 2024: no overall grade. Attainment 8 of 42.7 (2025/26, provisional)
- [Viewley Hill Academy](https://openindex.co.uk/school/viewley-hill-academy-e140505): 1.2 km. Primary. Report card, July 2026: safeguarding met. 51% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)
- [St Gerard's RC Primary School](https://openindex.co.uk/school/st-gerards-rc-primary-school-e142373): 1.2 km. Primary. School remains Good, May 2024. 60% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)
- [Newham Bridge Primary School](https://openindex.co.uk/school/newham-bridge-primary-school-e150089): 1.3 km. Primary. No outcome in Ofsted's file. 75% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)

## Sources and further information

- [Schools: methods, licences and inspection sources](https://openindex.co.uk/sources/schools)
- [Get Information about Schools](https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/145877)
- [Ofsted reports](https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/145877)

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/school/discovery-special-academy-e145877, or to one figure with its anchor, https://openindex.co.uk/school/discovery-special-academy-e145877#sc-results.

Open Index's own text and the figures it works out are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source data keeps its publishers' licences, named with each figure. Give each figure's period and source with it.

Snapshot 2026.10.10. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/school/discovery-special-academy-e145877