Meadowfield School

Meadowfield School is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 19, all of whom have EHC plans. This graded inspection found the quality of education and leadership and management require improvement, while behaviour and attitudes, personal development, early years provision are good. Sixth-form provision also requires improvement. Safeguarding is effective. The school was previously judged outstanding, and inspectors noted it has been through significant change, including leadership instability in sixth form and rapid growth in pupil numbers; leadership is now stable.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, are happy and build positive relationships with staff.
• Staff support pupils to behave well and manage their emotions.
• Therapy and well-being support are well matched to pupils' complex needs.
• Reading is a strength, with effective phonics tracking and catch-up support.
• Children in early years get off to a strong start.
• Pupils attend well and the school checks absence precisely.
• Personal development is prioritised, with a wide range of clubs, sports and cultural opportunities.
• Staff are proud of their work and value the support and training they receive.
• Governors are knowledgeable and offer both support and challenge.

Areas for Improvement

• The curriculum is not sequenced clearly enough in a small number of subjects.
• In some subjects, teaching does not follow the intended curriculum precisely enough.
• Some teachers lack the subject knowledge needed to deliver the curriculum consistently well.
• Staff are not consistent in their use of communication strategies.
• Some tasks for older pupils, including sixth-form students, lack ambition.
• Qualifications in key stage 4 and the sixth form are not ambitious enough and do not build well on prior learning.
• Leaders do not have effective processes to evaluate the impact of the curriculum and staff practice accurately.
• Some individual pupils' next steps are not identified precisely enough to support progress.

In 2024–25 pupils at Meadowfield School attended 86.5% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 42.2% 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, 0.8% of pupils at Meadowfield 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 Meadowfield School had 6.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.6% 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 Meadowfield School had 396 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; speech, language and communication needs; 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 Meadowfield School received £27,106 and spent £27,929 for each of its 396 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £201,000 (£509 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).

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• Secondary Schools

All schools in Sittingbourne · Kent local authority: places and applications

What is Meadowfield School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Meadowfield School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Meadowfield School last inspected by Ofsted?

Meadowfield School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Meadowfield School have?

Meadowfield School has 396 pupils on roll.

What age range does Meadowfield School cover?

Meadowfield School for pupils aged 4 to 19.

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

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

Where is Meadowfield School?

Meadowfield School is at Swanstree Avenue, Meadowfield School, Swanstree Avenue, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 4NL.