Five Acre Wood School, based in Maidstone, provides not applicable education, serving pupils aged 4 to 19. The school is a foundation special school and operates as a mixed school. It follows a not applicable admissions policy. It does not have a designated religious character, which may suit families looking for a non-faith school. The school also offers a sixth form, allowing students to continue into post-16 education on site.
Five Acre Wood School currently has around 854 pupils on roll, which is about 126% of its capacity. The gender split is relatively balanced, with approximately 71.4% boys and 28.6% girls. Around 39.0% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which gives an indication of the socio-economic mix. Pupil backgrounds are varied across different backgrounds and needs.
Overall absence at the school is 12.2%. Persistent absence is recorded at 38.2%.
The majority of pupils are from a white british background (73.3%).
At its latest Ofsted inspection, the school was rated Outstanding. This indicates exceptional performance across all areas. Safeguarding was judged to be effective, which is a key consideration for many parents.
Around 96% of pupils move on to sustained destinations after Year 11. Most continue into education (96%) , including 0% who stay in school sixth forms and 0% progressing to further education , while 0% enter apprenticeships .
| Address: | Boughton Lane, Maidstone, ME15 9QF |
| Website: | http://www.fiveacrewood.co.uk |
| Telephone: | 01622743925 |
| School Type: | Foundation special school |
| Education phase: | Not applicable |
| Local authority: | Kent |
| Headteacher / Principal: | Mrs Peggy Murphy |
| Religious character: | Does not apply |
| Admissions policy: | Not applicable |
| Unique reference: | 119055 |
Ofsted inspection date: 02/07/2024
Safeguarding is effective
| Age Range: | 4 - 19 |
| Gender: | Mixed |
| School Capacity: | 680 |
| Number of Pupils: | 854 |
| Number of Boys: | 610 |
| Number of Girls: | 244 |
| School | England state-funded schools: | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall absence: | 12.2% | 4% |
| Persistent absence: | 38.2% | 8.2% |
| White British | 73.30% | 626 |
| Other White | 5.60% | 48 |
| Unclassified | 3.70% | 32 |
| African | 2.90% | 25 |
| Other Asian | 2.70% | 23 |
| Other Mixed | 1.80% | 15 |
| Gypsy/Roma | 1.60% | 14 |
| White and Asian | 1.50% | 13 |
| Other (any other ethnic group) | 1.50% | 13 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 1.30% | 11 |
| White and Black African | 1.10% | 9 |
| Bangladeshi | 0.70% | 6 |
| Irish Traveller (Traveller of Irish heritage) | 0.60% | 5 |
| Caribbean | 0.60% | 5 |
| Indian | 0.60% | 5 |
| Pakistani | 0.40% | 3 |
| Other Black | 0.10% | 1 |
| Irish | 0.00% | 0 |
| Chinese | 0.00% | 0 |
Progress scores show how pupils performed compared with pupils nationally who had similar prior attainment. Scores above 0 are better than average; below 0 are worse than average.
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiger Primary School Boughton Lane , ME15 9QL | 3out of 4 | 104 yd | Free schools | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Oak Trees Community School Oaktree Avenue , ME15 9AX | - not rated | 474 yd | Community school | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Leigh Academy Oaks Oak Tree Avenue , ME15 9AX | 4out of 4 | 474 yd | Academy sponsor led | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Leigh Academy Molehill Hereford Road , ME15 7ND | - not rated | 877 yd | Academy sponsor led | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Molehill Copse Primary School Hereford Road , ME15 7ND | - not rated | 877 yd | Community school | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oldborough Manor Community School Boughton Lane , Loose ME15 9QL | - not rated | 104 yd | Foundation school | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| New Line Learning Academy Boughton Lane , ME15 9QL | - not rated | 104 yd | Academy sponsor led | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| Senacre Technology College Sutton Road , ME15 9DT | - not rated | 1,217 yd | Foundation school | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| Maidstone Grammar School Barton Road , ME15 7BT | 3out of 4 | 1,923 yd | Foundation school | No | Boys | More About School |
| The Cornwallis School Hubbards Lane , Linton ME17 4HX | - not rated | 2,522 yd | Foundation school | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Five Acre Wood School Boughton Lane , ME15 9QF | 4out of 4 | 0 yd | Foundation special school | No | Mixed | More About School |
| King's Reach Education St Hilary's House , Reculver Walk ME15 8SW | - not rated | 1,950 yd | Other independent special school | Not Applicable | Boys | More About School |
| Isp Maidstone Melville Road , ME15 7UT | - not rated | 2,308 yd | Other independent school | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| OneSchool Global UK - Maidstone Campus Heath Road , Linton ME17 4HT | - not rated | 2,672 yd | Other independent school | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Mid-Kent Behaviour Service & Education Office Bishops Terrace , Tonbridge Road ME14 1AF | - not rated | 2,905 yd | Pupil referral unit | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.