# Gilbert Ward Academy

Gilbert Ward Academy is a special school in Northumberland, for pupils aged 11 to 16.

It had 83 pupils at the school census in January 2026.

Special school. Code E149842. [Northumberland](https://openindex.co.uk/northumberland)

- Phase: Special
- Type: Free schools special
- Ages: 11 to 16
- Pupils: 83
- Council: Northumberland
- URN: 149842

## Latest Ofsted outcome

Report card, May 2026: safeguarding met
- Inspection: Report card, 6 May 2026
- Safeguarding: Met
- Inclusion: Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention
- Achievement: Needs attention
- Attendance and behaviour: Needs attention
- Personal development and wellbeing: Expected standard
- Early years: Not applicable
- Post-16 provision: Not applicable
- Leadership and governance: Needs attention
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 2025/26, the average Attainment 8 score at Gilbert Ward Academy was 1.0, against 42.8 in Northumberland and 46.2 in England.
0% of its pupils got grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSEs (46.3% in England).

### End of secondary school (KS4, GCSEs): 2025/26, provisional

| Measure | This school | Northumberland | England |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Average Attainment 8 score | 1.0 | 42.8 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 41.8% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 61% | 64.8% |
| Pupils at the end of KS4 | 10 | – | – |

Gilbert Ward 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.
The 2025/26 figures are provisional. The Department for Education publishes revised ones later in the school year.
Progress 8 cannot be worked out for 2025/26, because the KS2 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.

- [St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School](https://openindex.co.uk/school/st-wilfrids-catholic-primary-school-e148282): 210 m. Primary. Report card, June 2026: safeguarding met. 47% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)
- [Bede Academy](https://openindex.co.uk/school/bede-academy-e135619): 540 m. All-through. Good (overall), April 2024. 69% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)
- [Malvin's Close Academy](https://openindex.co.uk/school/malvins-close-academy-e146544): 550 m. Primary. Outstanding (overall), January 2023. 63% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)
- [Croftway Academy](https://openindex.co.uk/school/croftway-academy-e146545): 680 m. Primary. Outstanding (overall), January 2023. 67% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)
- [Newsham Primary School](https://openindex.co.uk/school/newsham-primary-school-e122261): 1.1 km. Primary. Graded inspection, May 2025: no overall grade. 43% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)
- [Morpeth Road Academy](https://openindex.co.uk/school/morpeth-road-academy-e139756): 1.2 km. Primary. Report card, June 2026: safeguarding met. 64% 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/149842)
- [Ofsted reports](https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/149842)

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/school/gilbert-ward-academy-e149842, or to one figure with its anchor, https://openindex.co.uk/school/gilbert-ward-academy-e149842#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 2026.10.9. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/school/gilbert-ward-academy-e149842