Shepwell School

What Shepwell School does

Shepwell School is a state-funded alternative education provider (Short Stay School / Pupil Referral Unit / Hospital School) operating under Walsall Local Authority in the West Midlands, United Kingdom. The school serves young people who cannot attend mainstream school due to illness, medical treatment, pregnancy, school refusal, autism, mental health needs, or social and emotional difficulties. Founded in 2011 and rated 'Good' by Ofsted in both 2019 and 2024, Shepwell delivers 27.8 hours of education per week across core subjects (English, Maths, Science, ICT, Music, Humanities, Food, PE) at its Willenhall headquarters, with additional capacity at a satellite provision in Pelsall and a weekly farm site in Darlaston.

The school's service architecture comprises four delivery pathways: Shepwell On-Site (the main autism-friendly learning environment), Shepwell Discover (online tuition via Microsoft Teams for KS3/KS4), Shepwell Flourish (home tuition), and Shepwell Exceed (bedside tuition at Walsall Manor Hospital). Supporting provisions include The Hive inclusion centre with HivePlus wellbeing sessions, a school counsellor service, Thrive interventions, Albie the therapy dog, a reading programme, and volunteering at Albrighton Moat Project. The technology stack is built entirely on third-party platforms — Microsoft Teams, School Cloud, School Gateway, and Arbor for school management — with Matomo providing anonymised web analytics.

Shepwell's business model is publicly funded through Local Authority arrangements and Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) placements, with some mainstream schools sharing a proportion of pupil premium funding. The Hive inclusion centre generates supplemental weekly fees for attending pupils. Admissions are referral-only — the school does not accept direct applications from parents or carers, instead routing all intake through schools and the Walsall LA SEND Department. Governance is provided by a Board of Governors including parent, staff, and community representatives, chaired by Diane Osborne, with Mrs L Southall serving as Headteacher.

Name

Shepwell School

Legal name

Shepwell School

Website

https://shepwellschool.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shepwell School is a state-funded alternative education provider in Walsall, West Midlands, delivering on-site, online, home, and hospital tuition to pupils unable to attend mainstream school due to medical, mental health, autism, or social-emotional needs, rated Good by Ofsted in 2024.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alternative Education Services (Pupil Referral Unit / Short Stay School)

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialized Learning Support (Dyslexia/LD Coaching, Assistive Strategies) (EDAJALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Autism Spectrum (ASD) Academic & Social-Communication Support Tutoring (EDANAFAD), Virtual Tutoring & Academic Intervention (K–12) (EDAJADAH), Virtual Special Education & Related Services (IEP Delivery Online) (EDAJADAG), Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK)

Keywords

• Alternative education provision
• Pupil referral unit
• Hospital tuition services
• SEMH specialist schooling
• Inclusion centre education

Headquarters

HQ city

Willenhall

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government-funded Education: Shepwell School is a publicly funded alternative education provision. The school receives funding through Local Authority arrangements for pupils with EHCPs and those referred through mainstream schools. Some mainstream schools share a proportion of pupil premium funding to support pupils on their roll.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Shepwell School is a state-funded alternative education provider (Short Stay School / Pupil Referral Unit / Medical Hospital School) delivering specialist education to young people who cannot attend mainstream school due to illness, ASD, mental health conditions, social/emotional difficulties, pregnancy, or school refusal. The core offer combines on-site schooling, online tuition via Microsoft Teams, home tuition, hospital tuition at Walsall Manor Hospital, an inclusion centre (The Hive), and a satellite provision, supported by a pastoral wellbeing ecosystem of counselling, therapy dog, farm visits, and volunteering.

Product overview

Shepwell School is an alternative education provider (Short Stay School/Pupil Referral Unit/Medical Hospital School) rated 'Good' by Ofsted, offering a multi-pathway model comprising on-site schooling, online, home, and hospital tuition services. The core offering is Shepwell On-Site, supported by four satellite services: Shepwell Discover (online tuition via Microsoft Teams), Shepwell Flourish (home tuition), and Shepwell Exceed (hospital tuition). The Hive inclusion centre and HivePlus sessions provide targeted wellbeing and reintegration support, while the Satellite Provision extends the school's reach to Ormiston Shelfield Academy. Complementary therapeutic and developmental offerings include animal therapy, a school farm, volunteering at Albrighton Moat Project, a counselling service, Thrive interventions, and an extensive reading programme. The school serves neurodivergent pupils with autism-friendly learning spaces designed specifically for autistic learners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shepwell On-Site: On-site inclusion services at Shepwell School
• Shepwell Discover
• Shepwell Flourish
• Shepwell Exceed
• The HIVE
• Shepwell Satellite
• Albrighton Moat Project

Products and services

• Shepwell On-Site (Main School Provision) Main on-site school provision at Shepwell, Willenhall, offering flexible autism-friendly learning spaces designed for neurodivergent pupils (KS2-KS4) who cannot attend mainstream school due to medical, mental health, ASD, or social-emotional needs. Delivers 27.8 hours per week of education across core subjects (English, Maths, Science, ICT, Music, Humanities, Food, PE) with personalised reintegration plans and strong pastoral support.
• Shepwell Discover (Online Tuition) Free online education for core subjects at KS3 and KS4, accessible to children in Walsall recovering from medical treatment or with medical/mental health needs. Delivered in small groups via Microsoft Teams to reduce isolation, with schools providing laptops for pupils to access lessons.
• Shepwell Flourish (Home Tuition) Home-based educational support for pupils unable to attend school due to medical or mental health conditions. Delivers personalised learning in the home environment to maintain educational continuity when site or online attendance is not feasible.
• Shepwell Exceed (Hospital Tuition) On-site bedside education delivered at Walsall Manor Hospital for pupils receiving medical treatment, offering therapeutic activities such as maths games and history sessions to maintain learning during hospital stays.
• The Hive (Inclusion Centre) Purpose-built cabin inclusion centre at the Shepwell site delivering small-group learning experiences in core subjects for KS2/KS3/KS4 pupils struggling in mainstream settings due to attendance issues, unmet needs, environmental factors, relationships, or mental health. Sessions operate three times weekly on rotation, with a weekly cost applied to attending pupils.
• Shepwell Satellite Provision Self-contained satellite facility at Ormiston Shelfield Academy comprising three classrooms, a sensory room, and an outdoor area. Provides high quality education in a smaller, nurturing environment aligned with the main school's curriculum, ethos and expectations for pupils with SEMH needs related to anxiety and/or neurodiversity.
• The Farm (Animal Care Provision) Weekly farm visits at Pinfold Primary School, Darlaston, where a small group of pupils care for guinea pigs, chickens, rabbits and goats every Monday afternoon, developing animal husbandry skills, responsibility and emotional regulation in an outdoor environment.
• School Counsellor Service Confidential school counselling service (delivered by Kerry) offering three hours weekly of therapeutic support to pupils for personal, social and academic challenges. Builds coping strategies for stress, anxiety and interpersonal conflicts, accessed via pastoral referral, parent/pupil request, or WPH counselling referral.

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ormiston Shelfield AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrmiston Shelfield Academy hosts Shepwell Satellite provision, providing facilities including three classrooms, a sensory room, and outdoor area with seating, activity space, and garden. The provision maintains the standards, ethos and expectations of the main Shepwell site while operating as a self-contained, smaller nurturing environment. The partnership adheres to both Shepwell and Ormiston Shelfield safeguarding policies.
• Pinfold Primary SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPinfold Primary School in Darlaston provides facilities for Shepwell School's Farm provision. Pupils attend on Monday afternoons to care for animals including guinea pigs, chickens, rabbits and goats. Pinfold staff provide pens for cleaning by Shepwell pupils, offering hands-on animal care and responsibility experience.
• Albrighton Moat ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShepwell School has been volunteering at Albrighton Moat Project for four years, with Year 7 and 8 PfA groups and selected Year 11 pupils attending on rotational basis. Volunteering includes site maintenance, leaf collecting, weeding, planting and tidying. The project achieved the Kings Award for Volunteering.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Third Space Learning: UK online 1-to-1 tuition provider used by schools for SEND, disadvantaged and Looked-After children. Comparable as a school-commissioned online tuition layer supplementing mainstream provision.
• Witherslack Group: One of the UK's largest providers of specialist education and care for children with SEN, including independent schools and PRU-style provision. Directly comparable as a SEND/alternative education operator with multi-site delivery and local-authority commissioner relationships.
• Tute: UK online tuition provider offering live, teacher-led lessons to schools and LAs, often used to support pupils who cannot attend mainstream settings. Directly comparable to Shepwell Discover's online tuition pathway.
• Explore Learning: UK supplemental education provider offering maths, English and SEN-tailored tutoring. Comparable as a structured tutoring provider serving the same K-12 cohort with personalised learning pathways.
• Nudge Education: UK alternative education provider delivering bespoke tuition and reintegration support for pupils excluded or unable to attend mainstream school. Closely mirrors Shepwell's reintegration model and SEND case-load focus.
• Engage Education: UK education recruitment and alternative provision supplier, including SEND and PRU-staffed tuition. Comparable as a SEND-focused alternative education delivery partner to schools and LAs.

Broad incumbents

• Priory Group: Major UK provider of specialist education, mental health and residential care for children and young people, including SEND schools. Comparable as a large incumbent offering overlapping SEMH and SEND delivery, though with a much broader healthcare portfolio.
• Catch22: Large UK social business running alternative provision, pupil referral units and inclusion services alongside wider social services. Comparable as a scaled alternative education and SEMH service provider, with broader scope than Shepwell.

Emerging players

• Brightside: UK charity providing online mentoring and tutoring to disadvantaged and at-risk young people, often commissioned by schools and government. Comparable as a tech-enabled support layer for vulnerable learners, with partial overlap on tutoring.
• Sherpa Kids: UK-based provider of wraparound and alternative education services for primary and secondary schools, including holiday clubs and SEND-inclusive provision. Comparable as a complementary/alternative education operator with school partnerships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/shepwellschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shepwell-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shepwell School