Discovery Special Academy
Sandy Flatts Lane, Middlesbrough, TS5 7YN
- Phase
- Free Schools
- School type
- Free schools special
- Ages
- 2 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- TEES VALLEY EDUCATION
- Headteacher
- Miss Jennifer Duncan
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Tees Valley Education
- Constituency
- Middlesbrough and Thornaby East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 181
- Pupils on roll
- 187
- URN
- 145877
- Local authority
- Middlesbrough
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01642248333
About this school
Discovery Special Academy is a special academy in Middlesbrough. It teaches children aged 2 to 16 and has 187 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
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- 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 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| 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 | -3.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -3.30 | - | - |
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 Discovery Special Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Middlesbrough average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 0% | 55.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 57% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 58.6% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 126 |
| 2023/24 | 149 |
| 2024/25 | 171 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 70.44%
- English as an additional language
- 19.3%
- Overall absence
- 6.78%
- Persistent absence
- 19.44%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Holmwood School0.8 miles
Special schools · Middlesbrough
-
Beverley School0.9 miles
Special schools · Middlesbrough
-
Hollis Academy1.0 miles
Academies · Middlesbrough
-
River Tees Academy Grangetown1.9 miles
Free Schools · Middlesbrough
-
River Tees Hospital School1.9 miles
Academies · Middlesbrough
Other schools in Middlesbrough
- Archway Academy Academies
- Beverley School Special schools
- Fulcrum Education Special schools
- Hollis Academy Academies
- Holmwood School Special schools
- Hopefields Education CiC Special schools
- Priory Woods School Special schools
- River Tees Academy Grangetown Free Schools
- River Tees Hospital School Academies
- River Tees Primary Academy Academies
- River Tees Secondary Academy Academies
- Abingdon Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Discovery Special Academy teach?
- Discovery Special Academy teaches children aged 2 to 16. It is a special school in Middlesbrough.
- Who is the headteacher of Discovery Special Academy?
- The headteacher of Discovery Special Academy is Miss Jennifer Duncan, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Discovery Special Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Discovery Special Academy, 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 Discovery Special Academy?
- Discovery Special Academy has 187 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 16.
- Is Discovery Special Academy full?
- Discovery Special Academy has capacity for 181 pupils and 187 on roll (103%), 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 Discovery Special Academy a faith school?
- No. Discovery Special Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Discovery Special Academy a selective school?
- No. Discovery Special Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs Discovery Special Academy?
- Discovery Special Academy is part of TEES VALLEY EDUCATION. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Discovery Special Academy'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 Discovery Special Academy's absence rate?
- Discovery Special Academy's overall absence rate is 6.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Discovery Special Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Discovery Special Academy'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 10 July 2026.