Nexus Foundation Special School

Nexus Foundation Special School has demonstrated overall good performance with notable strengths in student support and personal development. Staff are highly skilled in catering to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) of pupils, creating a nurturing environment that fosters both engagement and achievement. The school has made significant progress since its previous inspection, particularly in the development of its early reading curriculum and the robustness of its personalized educational pathways, allowing students to thrive academically and socially. While the quality of education is generally good, areas for improvement remain, particularly in ensuring curriculum clarity and consistency across subjects. Some teachers are not delivering the curriculum in their areas of expertise, which can lead to gaps in students' learning. Despite these concerns, the leadership team's commitment to ongoing improvement and the effective safeguarding measures in place assure a safe and supportive educational atmosphere for all pupils.

Strengths

• Exceptional care and support for all pupils.
• Highly personalised curriculum based on individual needs.
• Outstanding behaviour and attitudes among students.
• Strong focus on developing communication and interaction skills.
• Effective multi-disciplinary support for managing behaviour.
• Innovative enrichment opportunities, including forest school.
• Excellent subject knowledge in art leading to high-quality work.

Areas for Improvement

• Lack of clarity in curriculum planning for some subjects.
• Inconsistency in teaching approaches across different phases.
• Some teachers delivering subjects outside their expertise.

In 2024–25 pupils at Nexus Foundation Special School attended 86.3% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 36.1% 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, 1.7% of pupils at Nexus Foundation Special 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 Nexus Foundation Special School had 7.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.6% 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 Nexus Foundation Special School had 307 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: severe learning difficulty; profound and multiple learning difficulty; hearing impairment; vision impairment; physical disability; autistic spectrum disorder; other difficulty or disability.

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 Nexus Foundation Special School received £30,296 and spent £31,275 for each of its 307 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,088,000 (£3,543 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 Tonbridge · Kent local authority: places and applications

Nexus Foundation Special School is part of Kent Special Educational Needs Trust (Ksent), which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Broomhill Bank School Tunbridge Wells
• Five Acre Wood School Maidstone
• Ifield School Gravesend
• The Orchard School Canterbury
• The Beacon Folkestone Folkestone
• Elms School Dover
• Laleham Gap School Ramsgate
• Foreland Fields School Ramsgate
• St Anthony's School Margate
• Stone Bay School Broadstairs

What is Nexus Foundation Special School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Nexus Foundation Special School is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was Nexus Foundation Special School last inspected by Ofsted?

Nexus Foundation Special School was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does Nexus Foundation Special School have?

Nexus Foundation Special School has 307 pupils on roll.

What age range does Nexus Foundation Special School cover?

Nexus Foundation Special School for pupils aged 2 to 19.

What are Nexus Foundation Special School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Nexus Foundation Special School?

Nexus Foundation Special School is at Upper Haysden Lane, Tonbridge, Kent, TN11 8AA.