The Avenue Special School
The Avenue Centre, Conwy Close, Tilehurst, Reading, RG30 4BZ
- Phase
- Academies
- School type
- Academy special converter
- Ages
- 2 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE AVENUE SCHOOL SPECIAL NEEDS ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Headteacher Symon Cooke
- Religious ethos
- None
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- SEN provision
- SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Reading West and Mid Berkshire
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 249
- Pupils on roll
- 253
- URN
- 137435
- Local authority
- Reading
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01183389038
About this school
The Avenue Special School is a special academy in Reading. It teaches children aged 2 to 19 and has 253 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 23 | 20 | 22 |
| 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 | -5.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -5.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -6.00 | - | - |
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.
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 23 | 15 | 19 |
| Attainment 8 score | - | - | - |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | - | - | - |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | - | - | - |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The Avenue Special 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 | 13.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 13.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 13.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 204 |
| 2023/24 | 233 |
| 2024/25 | 246 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
Inspection history
- 16 May 2023
-
Ungraded inspection report25 September 2019
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 39.6%
- English as an additional language
- 35%
- Overall absence
- 13.46%
- Persistent absence
- 38.42%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Thames Valley School0.0 miles
Free Schools · Reading
-
The Holy Brook School0.8 miles
Special schools · Reading
-
Cranbury College1.3 miles
Academies · Reading
-
St Edward's Prep1.5 miles
Independent schools · Reading
-
Brookfields School1.7 miles
Academies · Reading
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 Holy Brook School Special schools
Common questions
- What year groups does The Avenue Special School teach?
- The Avenue Special School teaches children aged 2 to 19. It is a special school in Reading.
- Who is the headteacher of The Avenue Special School?
- The headteacher of The Avenue Special School is Headteacher Symon Cooke, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The Avenue Special School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Avenue Special 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 big is The Avenue Special School?
- The Avenue Special School has 253 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 19.
- Is The Avenue Special School full?
- The Avenue Special School has capacity for 249 pupils and 253 on roll (102%), so it is at or above 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 Avenue Special School a faith school?
- No. The Avenue Special School has no designated religious character.
- Who runs The Avenue Special School?
- The Avenue Special School is part of THE AVENUE SCHOOL SPECIAL NEEDS ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does The Avenue Special School have?
- The schools register lists The Avenue Special School's special educational needs provision as: SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty; PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have The Avenue Special 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 Avenue Special School's absence rate?
- The Avenue Special School's overall absence rate is 13.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Avenue Special School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Avenue Special 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 1 July 2026.