SchoolScoresHartlepool Free School
Special free school · All-through, ages 5 to 19 · Mixed · Sixth form
Part of MAKE IT DIFFERENT
Hedgehog Lane, Hartlepool, TS25 1FF
01429 450081 · School website · Map and directions
Ofsted inspection
This school hasn't had a graded Ofsted inspection yet. New schools are usually inspected within their first few years.
Read the full Ofsted reports for this school
Source: Ofsted state-funded schools inspection data.
Results
No test or exam results have been published for this school yet.
Admissions
Apply through the council where you live, even if the school is in a different council area. This school is in Hartlepool. The national closing date for secondary applications is 31 October, and offers are sent on 1 March.
Pupils, staff and SEND
This is a special school for children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP). Places are arranged through the council's SEND team, not the normal admissions round.
| Pupils | This school | Hartlepool | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years | 73.7% | 64.7%* | 51.9% |
| With an education, health and care plan | 94.7% | 99.0%* | 99.5% |
| Receiving special educational needs support | 5.3% | 1.1%* | 0.5% |
| English as an additional language | 0.0% | 3.9%* | 14.4% |
| Overall absence (sessions missed) | 41.8% | 11.0%* | 12.8% |
| Persistently absent (missed 10% or more) | 95.7% | 29.7%* | 35.3% |
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 752.6 | 43.3 | 12.3 |
| Pupils suspended at least once | 115.8% | 7.2% | 5.1% |
| Pupils permanently excluded2 pupils | 10.53% | 0.60% | 0.08% |
| Pupils per teacher | 3.9 | 6.4 | 6.6 |
| Pupils per adult (teachers and support staff) | 2.6 | 2.3 | 2.3 |
| Teachers who left during the year | 21.7% | 10.3%* | 14.3%* |
Comparisons are with special schools. * Calculated by SchoolScores from the council's or England's schools, weighted by pupils (or teachers, for turnover); other figures are published by DfE. Sources: DfE school census 2024/25; DfE pupil absence 2024/25; DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions 2024/25; DfE school workforce census 2025/26; DfE teacher turnover 2024/25.
SEND provision: Get Information about Schools (DfE).
Nearby special schools
- Cambian Hartlepool School 0.3 miles · Independent · Ofsted: Good (2025)
- Catcote Academy 1.6 miles · Ofsted: Good (2013, before conversion), confirmed 2025
- Springwell School 2.8 miles · Ofsted: Outstanding (2015, before conversion), confirmed 2025 · 0% met expected standard (KS2)
- Wrenfield Learning Centre 2.8 miles · Independent · Ofsted: Good (2024)
Straight-line distance. Distance isn't the same as a catchment area.
Questions parents ask
What is Hartlepool Free School's Ofsted rating?
Hartlepool Free School hasn't had a graded Ofsted inspection yet.
Sources
- School details: Get Information about Schools (DfE), 26 September 2026. URN 150740.
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, data to 31 August 2026.
Spotted a mistake? Report it and we'll check it against the source.
Page updated 26 September 2026.