Paddock School

Paddock School is a 220-pupil all-age special school in London where every pupil has an education, health and care plan, supporting autistic pupils and those with moderate and severe learning difficulties across primary, secondary and sixth-form provision. Inspectors judged every area of the school's work to be at the strong standard, with safeguarding requirements fully met. Leaders have built the curriculum, staffing and site around pupils' individual needs, and the result is pupils who achieve consistently well from widely different starting points, make marked progress in communication, language and social skills, and leave well prepared for adult life — with all recent leavers staying in education or employment. Attendance has improved steadily and remains high given the complexity of need, while behaviour is calm, orderly and free from bullying or discrimination. The quality of provision is consistent across phases and subjects. Early years children settle quickly and make excellent progress in language and communication; older pupils gain qualifications and practical skills through food technology, music and other subjects; and post-16 students follow programmes closely matched to their interests and aspirations, including work experience and independent travel. Staff are highly skilled at personalising learning, use a range of communication systems effectively, and are backed by strong training and attention to workload. Governors provide effective support and challenge, particularly over pupil premium spending, and relationships with families and external agencies are a genuine strength — parents speak very highly of the care and progress their children make. The school's only forward-looking recommendation is to sustain and build on the curriculum and teaching improvements made since the new structure and buildings were established, so that outcomes remain as high as possible. No areas of weakness or underperformance were identified in this inspection.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve consistently well from varied starting points, with strong progress in communication, language and social skills
• Attendance is high and has improved year on year despite the complexity of pupils' needs
• Behaviour is calm, orderly and purposeful, with no bullying or discriminatory behaviour
• Curriculum pathways are carefully sequenced, ambitious and of consistently high quality across subjects and phases
• Staff are highly skilled at tailoring lessons and communication approaches to individual pupils' needs
• Early years provision is excellent, with warm relationships and rapid progress in language and phonics
• Exceptionally strong inclusion: support is built around pupils' diverse needs and monitored rigorously
• High-quality pastoral care and a rich personal development programme, including clubs, trips and therapeutic provision
• Outstanding preparation for adulthood, including independent travel, careers education and work experience
• Post-16 programmes are well matched to students' needs and aspirations, with 100% of leavers staying in education or employment
• Leaders and governors share a clear, ambitious vision and monitor improvement work robustly
• Governors provide effective support and challenge, including careful oversight of pupil premium funding
• Strong partnership with parents, carers and external agencies, including support for pupils known to children's social care
• Extensive high-quality staff training, with leaders attentive to workload

In 2024–25 pupils at Paddock School attended 91.4% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 27.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 35.3%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.9% of pupils at Paddock School were suspended at least once (nationally 5.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Paddock School had 6.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.5%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26 Paddock School had 246 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: specific learning difficulty; moderate learning difficulty; severe learning difficulty; social, emotional and mental health; speech, language and communication needs; hearing impairment; autistic spectrum disorder.

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded special school schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Paddock School received £37,560 and spent £38,023 for each of its 246 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £252,000 (£1,024 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Wandsworth · Wandsworth local authority: places and applications

What is Paddock School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Paddock School is Strong standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Paddock School last inspected by Ofsted?

Paddock School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Paddock School have?

Paddock School has 246 pupils on roll.

What age range does Paddock School cover?

Paddock School for pupils aged 4 to 19.

What are Paddock School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 0% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Paddock School?

Paddock School is at 120 Broadwater Road, London, SW17 0DZ.