Connex

Connex is an independent special school for pupils with SEND, many with EHC plans, who have often experienced long absences and multiple school moves. This was its first standard inspection since registration in May 2025. It meets the independent school standards and safeguarding standards, and inspectors judged provision at the expected standard across achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Pupils achieve well from their starting points, attendance and behaviour improve over time, and the school's inclusion and personal development work are particular strengths. Leaders know pupils deeply and provide a personalised, therapeutic and ambitious curriculum. Staff build trusting relationships and support complex needs, and most pupils develop a sense of belonging, engage in learning and benefit from strong pastoral care and careers education. Partnerships with commissioning schools, local authorities and external professionals are constructive. Safeguarding is embedded in an open culture. However, assessment is not consistently precise, so some pupils move on without securing important English and maths knowledge. Leaders are already focused on strengthening handwriting, spelling and grammar, but this remains a next step. A minority of pupils are severely absent, and the school is currently over its registered maximum pupil number, with 59 pupils on roll against a capacity of 44. These issues need ongoing attention even though the school is otherwise performing well.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well overall from often disrupted starting points.
• Strong inclusion provision tailored to SEND and EHC plans.
• Highly effective personal development and pastoral support.
• Positive, trusting relationships and calm, respectful pupil behaviour.
• Leaders prioritise attendance and help most pupils attend regularly.
• Skilled staff support complex needs and trauma sensitively.
• Ambitious curriculum focused on communication, reading, maths and life skills.
• Effective leadership, governance and staff development.
• Strong careers education and opportunities beyond the curriculum.
• Constructive partnerships with commissioning schools and local authorities.
• Safeguarding standards met with an open culture.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment is not consistently precise, so some pupils move on without securing key English and maths skills.
• Leaders must strengthen pupils' foundational knowledge in handwriting, spelling and grammar.
• Teachers do not always use assessment effectively to design and adapt learning.
• A minority of pupils are severely absent.
• The school has exceeded its registered maximum number of pupils on roll.
• Some aspects of the curriculum for older pupils need further refinement.

In 2025–26, 0.0% of pupils at Connex were on SEN support (nationally 18.4%) and 100.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 7.9%).

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 independent school schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

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• Secondary Schools

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What is Connex's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Connex is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Connex last inspected by Ofsted?

Connex was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Connex have?

Connex has 59 pupils on roll.

What age range does Connex cover?

Connex for pupils aged 4 to 16.

Where is Connex?

Connex is at Units 16 and 17a, Headlands Grove Trading Estate, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 7JQ.