Mayfield School

Mayfield School is a special school where all pupils have an education, health and care plan, often with complex needs including autism, medical needs and sensory impairment. Inspectors found safeguarding standards met and a deeply inclusive, nurturing culture. The school is strong in attendance and behaviour and in inclusion, with pupils attending regularly, feeling safe and happy, and benefiting from expert, individualised support. Staff know pupils exceptionally well, work closely with families and specialists, and provide therapeutic and practical help that enables pupils to make progress from their starting points. Across achievement, curriculum and teaching, leadership and governance, personal development and post-16 provision, the school meets expected standards. Leaders have built a coherent curriculum with communication and language at its core, and pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment, community experiences and careers guidance. Governance is effective, staff feel supported and parents are highly positive. Post-16 students access appropriate accreditations and move on to suitable destinations. The main areas for improvement are around consistency in teaching and curriculum delivery. At times, learning is not sequenced logically enough, and staff miss opportunities to reinforce and consolidate foundational knowledge, including transcription skills. Leaders should ensure pupils secure the knowledge and fluency they need for the next stage and that recently implemented curriculums are embedded through clear, logical sequencing.

Strengths

• Safeguarding culture is open and positive, with all legal requirements met.
• Attendance is above the national average for similar schools, with sensitive support for complex needs.
• Pupils feel safe, happy and confident, and behaviour is positive and nurturing.
• Highly effective strategies support pupils with SEND, including those with autism.
• Inclusion is a golden thread, with needs identified swiftly and accurately.
• Individualised support and carefully co-produced education, health and care plans are highly effective.
• Therapeutic support, including art, speech and occupational therapy, is provided where needed.
• Disadvantaged pupils are supported strategically to improve wellbeing and access to learning.
• Staff work closely with specialists and external agencies to coordinate comprehensive support.
• Leadership and governance are strong, with leaders and governors unified in ambition.
• High-quality professional development and staff wellbeing are prioritised.
• Parents highly appreciate the care and progress their children make.
• Personal development and enrichment are at the heart of the school’s work.
• Pupils learn about fundamental British values through real experiences such as student council elections.
• Post-16 provision includes appropriate accreditations such as ASDAN and the Duke of Edinburgh’s gold award.
• Post-16 students contribute strongly to the school community and move on to suitable destinations.
• Careers guidance and work-related learning prepare pupils well for their next steps.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching sometimes lacks clear logical sequencing, making it harder for pupils to secure learning step by step.
• Staff sometimes miss opportunities to extend or consolidate pupils’ foundational knowledge.
• Transcription skills such as pen grip and letter formation are not consistently reinforced.
• When teaching lacks a sharp focus on reinforcement, pupils miss chances to embed core skills.
• Recently implemented curriculums need embedding through clear, logical learning sequences.
• Pupils need to secure the necessary knowledge and fluency in foundational knowledge for their next learning steps.

In 2024–25 pupils at Mayfield School attended 90.0% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 34.3% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Mayfield 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 Mayfield School had 8.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 31.6% 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 Mayfield School had 133 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; profound and multiple learning difficulty; speech, language and communication needs; hearing impairment; vision impairment; multi-sensory 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 Mayfield School received £31,478 and spent £32,696 for each of its 133 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £255,000 (£1,920 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 Chorley · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is Mayfield School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Mayfield School last inspected by Ofsted?

Mayfield School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Mayfield School have?

Mayfield School has 133 pupils on roll.

What age range does Mayfield School cover?

Mayfield School for pupils aged 4 to 19.

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

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

Where is Mayfield School?

Mayfield School is at Gloucester Road, Chorley, Lancashire, PR7 3HN.