Ashbrooke School, Sunderland
Ashbrooke School is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 19 in Sunderland. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Ashbrooke School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Ashbrooke School are Barbara Priestman Academy (0.6 miles, Good); Endeavour SR (0.8 miles); Thornhill Park School (1.3 miles, Good); and Sunningdale School (1.7 miles, Outstanding).
Barbara Priestman AcademyEndeavour SRThornhill Park SchoolSunningdale School
What parents say
14 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Ashbrooke School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 60% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school supports their child's wider development (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (60%).
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Ashbrooke School has an education, health and care plan (125 of 126 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Park Lane (Tyne and Wear Metro Station), about 790 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ryhope Road-College (nw-bound), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Ashbrooke School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 612 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Sunderland (148), as is usual near a town centre.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's September 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Ashbrooke School excels at making pupils feel valued and supported while maintaining high expectations for achievement. The school provides a broad range of learning experiences beyond the classroom - from beach and forest trips to meaningful work experience - that help pupils understand themselves and the world of work. Staff are highly skilled at supporting pupils with complex needs, with tailored therapies and adaptations that help every child succeed.
Key Strengths
- Strong support for pupils' personal development with rich enrichment opportunities including beach and forest learning, sports, and pupil-led activities
- Effective work supporting all pupils with SEND through skilled staff who know individual needs well and use a range of therapies and adaptations
- Excellent focus on reading with daily reading opportunities and 'Book Boost Mondays' that inspire pupils to engage with diverse books
- Thoughtfully designed careers guidance with mentoring from local businesses and work experience opportunities
- Positive behaviour and effective support for pupils to manage emotions in calm, focused classrooms
Areas for Improvement
- In some subjects, the curriculum is not sufficiently clear about the key knowledge and skills pupils need to build understanding over time
- Sometimes teaching methods used in lessons do not match well with what pupils need to learn, preventing them from learning as effectively as possible
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with appropriate policies in place and a positive school culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Beach and forest learning, sports, Duke of Edinburgh activities, mentoring from local businesses, work experience, community volunteering in local parks, school council, reading leadership roles, weekly pupil-led learning activities
Ashbrooke School is an independent special school for pupils aged 5 to 19 with social, emotional and mental health needs. The school is judged to be Good overall, with outstanding personal development provision.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
14 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Ashbrooke School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 10
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 9 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
5 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Sunderland is 13 (the median across 125 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
100%
Full
126 pupils
126 places
No spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Sunderland
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Sunderland
Across Sunderland council
Places available
3,305
Applications
2,921
Got 1st preference
92.9%
Got preferred school
97.9%
All secondary applications across Sunderland council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
1
SEN Support
125
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Ashbrooke School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
126
Total Pupils
115
Boys
11
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Ashbrooke School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Ashbrooke School
What are GCSE results like at Ashbrooke School?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Ashbrooke School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is Ashbrooke School's Ofsted rating?
Ashbrooke School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2025.
Does Ashbrooke School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in September 2025, Ashbrooke School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Ashbrooke School?
Ashbrooke School has around 126 pupils on roll.
Does Ashbrooke School have specialist SEN provision?
Ashbrooke School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Ashbrooke School?
Ashbrooke School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Ashbrooke School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 9 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 5 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Sunderland is 13 (the median across 125 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Ashbrooke School?
Ashbrooke School is at Ashbrooke Road, Sunderland, Sunderland, SR2 7JA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)