The Holy Brook School
145 Ashampstead Road, Southcote, Reading, RG30 3LJ
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Community special school
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Kay Charles
- SEN provision
- SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
- Constituency
- Reading Central
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 32
- Pupils on roll
- 28
- URN
- 110193
- Local authority
- Reading
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01189375489
About this school
The Holy Brook School is a community special school in Reading. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 28 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Holy Brook School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 8 May 2025, where inspectors found some aspects are not as strong as at the previous inspection. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 11 | 10 | 7 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | - | - |
| Reading progress | -10.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -4.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -9.80 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The Holy Brook School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Reading average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 0% | 55.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 57.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 14.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 35 |
| 2023/24 | 31 |
| 2024/25 | 29 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 75.86%
- English as an additional language
- 6.9%
- Overall absence
- 14.94%
- Persistent absence
- 51.72%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Avenue Special School0.8 miles
Academies · Reading
-
Thames Valley School0.8 miles
Free Schools · Reading
-
Cranbury College1.1 miles
Academies · Reading
-
St Edward's Prep1.2 miles
Independent schools · Reading
-
OneSchool Global Reading Senior Campus2.1 miles
Independent schools
Other schools in Reading
- Addington School Academies
- Aurora Rowan School Special schools
- Bishopswood School Academies
- Brookfields School Academies
- Cranbury College Academies
- Cressex Lodge School Special schools
- Groveside School Special schools
- Hamilton School Academies
- Haywards Farm School Special schools
- Riseley Green School Special schools
- Thames Valley School Free Schools
- The Avenue Special School Academies
Common questions
- What ages does The Holy Brook School teach?
- The Holy Brook School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a special school in Reading.
- Who is the headteacher of The Holy Brook School?
- The headteacher of The Holy Brook School is Mrs Kay Charles, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Holy Brook School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Holy Brook School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at The Holy Brook School?
- The Holy Brook School has 28 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is The Holy Brook School full?
- The Holy Brook School has capacity for 32 pupils and 28 on roll (88%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is The Holy Brook School a faith school?
- No. The Holy Brook School has no designated religious character.
- What SEN provision does The Holy Brook School have?
- The schools register lists The Holy Brook School's special educational needs provision as: SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have The Holy Brook School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is The Holy Brook School's absence rate?
- The Holy Brook School's overall absence rate is 14.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Holy Brook School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Holy Brook School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.