SCHOOL PROFILE

Longcause Community Special School

Not applicable Community special school URN 113650
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 117 Published school capacity
Capacity used 100.9% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 4 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

4 October 2023
Latest published outcome School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Community special school
Phase Not applicable
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Plymouth
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 118 118 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 15 12.7% of pupils
Male pupils 103 87.3% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

47.5%
22.7 pts above England
School 47.5%
Plymouth 25.3%
South West 20.1%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

9.3%
11.0 pts below England
School 9.3%
Plymouth 11.0%
South West 10.7%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Plymouth 2.7%
South West 1.5%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
83.9%
99
Any other ethnic group
3.4%
4
African
2.5%
3
Any other Mixed background
2.5%
3
Any other White background
2.5%
3
Bangladeshi
1.7%
2
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 100.0% 118 of 118 pupils
79.2 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 100.0%
Plymouth 21.3%
South West 21.7%
England 20.8%
SEN support 0.0% 0 pupils
England 14.8% 14.8 pts below
EHC plans 100.0% 118 pupils
England 6.0% 94.0 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 101
Speech, language & communication 14
Other difficulty or disability 3

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

0.0% 60.4 pts below England
School 0.0%
Plymouth 60.9%
South West 58.4%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

0.0%

73.8 pts below England

School 0.0%
Plymouth 71.0%
South West 73.1%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

0.0%

70.3 pts below England

School 0.0%
Plymouth 70.2%
South West 69.4%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

0.0%

72.0 pts below England

School 0.0%
Plymouth 70.1%
South West 70.5%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

8.92%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

2.70 pts higher than England
School 8.92%
Plymouth 6.71%
South West 6.20%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

16.22%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

0.40 pts higher than England
School 16.22%
Plymouth 17.83%
South West 15.08%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.70%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.90 pts higher than England
School 2.70%
Plymouth 2.13%
South West 1.90%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open not applicable schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

100.9% 21.1 pts above England
Longcause Community Special School
100.9%
Plymouth
93.4%
South West
82.1%
England
79.8%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information