Lancaster School

Lancaster School is a special school for pupils with physical disabilities, severe learning difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties, and many with autism. It is part of SEN Trust Southend and is expanding to include key stage 3 pupils in September 2026. Inspectors found safeguarding standards are met. The school has a positive and substantial impact on pupils' lives: pupils receive meticulous care, benefit from a strong focus on communication, build warm and trusting relationships with staff, and are well supported to manage their behaviour. Attendance and personal development and wellbeing are particular strengths, with pupils learning independence, community participation and preparation for adulthood. Other areas of the school are solid. Pupils make appropriate progress according to their special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the curriculum is adapted well, with communication and language at its core. The school is an inclusive community, transitions into and out of the setting are managed successfully, and post-16 students are well prepared for further education, training or employment. Leaders are navigating a period of change and expansion strategically while protecting staff workload and wellbeing. Staff feel valued and supported, and governance has an informed understanding of the school's provision. The main areas to develop relate to assessment and evaluation. The new assessment system is helping staff identify gaps in pupils' knowledge and skills, but it is still developing and needs embedding so that gaps are addressed precisely. Leaders also need to scrutinise the impact of interventions more forensically and analyse and evaluate the school's work more astutely to ensure sustained improvement as provision expands. Overall, this is a school performing well with strong pastoral and behavioural foundations and clear, focused next steps.

Strengths

• Attendance and behaviour are strong, with leaders removing barriers and staff managing behaviour excellently.
• Pupils feel safe, enjoy warm relationships with staff and want to attend school.
• Personal development and wellbeing are strong, with an all-encompassing programme covering relationships, health and preparation for adulthood.
• Pupils learn practical independence skills such as budgeting, cooking, cleaning, travel and reading timetables.
• Pupils have many opportunities for responsibility, community work, clubs and school council.
• Post-16 students are well prepared for further education, training and employment through tailored work placements.
• Communication and language are central, including strong support for non-verbal pupils and use of communication aids.
• Staff are well trained, valued and supported by leaders, including through a high-quality professional learning programme.
• The school is an inclusive community with effective nursing, therapy and transition support.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture of safeguarding.

Areas for Improvement

• The new assessment system is still developing and needs embedding so teachers address pupils' gaps in learning precisely.
• Leaders do not scrutinise forensically the impact of the interventions they run.
• Leaders and governors could analyse and evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the school's work more astutely to ensure sustained improvement as provision expands.

In 2024–25 pupils at Lancaster School attended 82.7% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 38.3% 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster School had 7.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.9% 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 Lancaster School had 138 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: moderate learning difficulty; severe learning difficulty; profound and multiple learning difficulty; speech, language and communication needs; hearing impairment; vision impairment; physical disability; 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 2024–25 Lancaster School received £27,106 and spent £27,181 for each of its 131 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £610,000 (£4,654 per pupil).

Across all 4 schools of Sen Trust Southend, income was £28,789 and spending £28,158 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Westcliff-On-Sea · Southend-on-Sea local authority: places and applications

Lancaster School is part of Sen Trust Southend, which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• The St Christopher School Leigh-On-Sea
• Kingsdown School Southend-On-Sea
• St Nicholas School Southend-On-Sea

What is Lancaster School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Lancaster School last inspected by Ofsted?

Lancaster School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Lancaster School have?

Lancaster School has 138 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lancaster School cover?

Lancaster School for pupils aged 14 to 19.

Where is Lancaster School?

Lancaster School is at Prittlewell Chase, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, SS0 0RT.