Special school in Reading
The Holy Brook School
145 Ashampstead Road, Southcote, Reading, Berkshire, RG30 3LJ
Ofsted
Some aspects judged not as strong as at the last graded inspection, on 8 May 2025.
Inspections since September 2024 do not give an overall grade, so there is no one-word judgement to report. The full report sets out what inspectors found.
Exam results
Special schools serve pupils whose needs the standard measures were not designed to describe, so results are not shown or ranked here.
Pupils
- Pupils on roll
- 28
- Places
- 32
- How full
- 88% full — 28 of 32 places taken
- Girls / boys
- 6 / 22
- Overall absence
- 15%
- Persistently absent
- 52%
England 5.8%
England 14.7% — pupils missing 10% or more of sessions
- Free school meals, last 6 years
- 76%
- English as an additional language
- 7%
- With an EHC plan
- 100%
- On SEN support
- 0%
England 25.7%
England 18.7%
England 3.5%
England 15%
The neighbourhood around the school
Census 2021 figures for Reading 015C, the statistical neighbourhood the school sits in — roughly 1,500 residents. It describes the area, not the pupils, who may travel in from further away.
- Adults with a degree
- 25%
- Adults with no qualifications
- 23%
- Households owning their home
- 78%
- Households in social housing
- 10%
- Households with no car
- 22%
- Adults economically inactive
- 39%
England 33.8%
England 18.3%
England 62.7%
England 17%
England 21.9%
England 39.9%
School details
- Type
- Community special school
- Phase
- Special
- Ages
- Ages 5–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- No
- Boarding
- Day school
- Headteacher
- Headteacher: Kay Charles
- Local authority
- Reading
- Ward
- Southcote
- Constituency
- Reading Central
- URN
- 110193
The unique reference number used in all official school data.
Nearest special schools
| School | Ofsted | Attainment 8 | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groveside SchoolOther independent special school | No grade | — | 2.5 mi |
| Haywards Farm SchoolOther independent special school | No grade | — | 2.6 mi |
| Aurora Rowan SchoolOther independent special school | No grade | — | 3.9 mi |
| The Mile House Therapeutic SchoolOther independent special school | No grade | — | 3.9 mi |
| Riseley Green SchoolOther independent special school | No grade | — | 5.8 mi |
| Tadley Court SchoolOther independent special school | No grade | — | 7.8 mi |
| High Close SchoolNon-maintained special school | Good 2023 | — | 8.2 mi |
| Hurst Lodge SchoolOther independent special school | No grade | — | 10.7 mi |
Where these figures come from
- School details, address and pupil numbers — Get Information About Schools, the DfE register, as at 14 August 2026.
- Exam results — DfE performance tables, 2024/25.
- Free school meals, EAL and SEN — school census, 2024/25.
- Ofsted — Ofsted management information, latest inspections as at 30 June 2026.
- Neighbourhood figures — ONS Census 2021, lower layer super output area.
All published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. If something here looks wrong, the school's own website is the authority on admissions and open days.