Capella House School

Capella House School has demonstrated good overall effectiveness, achieving a strong performance in personal development and behavior and attitudes, where it stands out as outstanding. The school's mission reflects its commitment to empowering pupils to become confident individuals, and it has created a supportive environment that fosters positive relationships among students and staff. Although the school has made notable progress in its curriculum and teaching approaches, particularly in reading, there are still areas that require further embedding to ensure that all pupils can deepen their knowledge and understanding effectively. This is the school's first inspection since its opening in September 2019 as a free school, which adds important context to its developmental journey.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate exceptional behavior and positive attitudes.
• The personal development curriculum effectively prepares pupils for life in modern Britain.
• Strong support structures for pupils’ individual needs and well-being.
• Pupils engage positively in their education and take on responsibilities.
• The curriculum is well-structured and ambitious, leading to good learning outcomes.

Areas for Improvement

• Aspects of the curriculum need to be more securely embedded to deepen pupils' understanding.
• Further training for staff is required to fully implement the early reading curriculum.

In 2024–25 pupils at Capella House School attended 89.6% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 36.8% 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, 3.4% of pupils at Capella House 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 Capella House School had 6.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.5% 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 Capella House School had 78 pupils, 97.4% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: 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 2024–25 Capella House School received £38,115 and spent £28,045 for each of its 87 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,535,000 (£17,644 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Helix Learning Trust, income was £11,347 and spending £11,097 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 Richmond Upon Thames · Richmond upon Thames local authority: places and applications

Capella House School is part of Helix Learning Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Clarendon School Twickenham
• Strathmore School Twickenham
• Robin Hood Primary and Nursery School London
• Coombe Girls' School New Malden
• Coombe Boys' School New Malden
• Knollmead Primary School Surbiton
• Green Lane Primary and Nursery School Worcester Park

What is Capella House School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Capella House School is Good, from an inspection in December 2023.

When was Capella House School last inspected by Ofsted?

Capella House School was last inspected in December 2023.

How many pupils does Capella House School have?

Capella House School has 78 pupils on roll.

What age range does Capella House School cover?

Capella House School for pupils aged 4 to 19.

What are Capella House School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Capella House School?

Capella House School is at Egerton Road, Twickenham, TW2 7SL.