Brent Knoll School, London

Good
Special
Foundation special school
Mixed
Ages 417

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Paul Shaw
Pupils:181 / 162 capacity
LA:Lewisham
Phone:02086991047
Address:Perry Rise, London, SE23 2QU
Trust:*Co-op Brent Knoll and Watergate Co-operative Trust
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 2 years ago
-

Overall

Inspected 27 November 2024View full report
URN:100760
UKPRN:10015159
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Lewisham West and East Dulwich
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Brent Knoll School excels at creating a safe, respectful environment where pupils with autism thrive. The headteacher and leadership team have built a positive school culture where teaching is consistently good, pupils behave outstandingly, and attendance is above average. Parents report wonderful progress in their children, and the school prepares older pupils very effectively for further education and training.

Key Strengths

  • Outstanding behaviour and safety - pupils feel entirely safe and secure with excellent behaviour management
  • Early years provision is outstanding with children making rapid progress
  • Good teaching quality that has risen consistently, with teachers knowing pupils well and providing well-suited activities
  • Pupils achieve well throughout the school with older pupils succeeding in GCSE and Entry Level qualifications
  • Above average attendance and strong focus on developing tolerance and respect

Areas for Improvement

  • Teachers' planning does not always focus sufficiently on the learning needs of all groups of pupils
  • Adults do not consistently record the extent of pupils' progress in lessons
  • Not all pupils fully understand how to improve their work based on written feedback in their books

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are very secure with well-organised procedures that are regularly scrutinised by senior staff and a nominated governor.

Extracurricular Activities

Sports coaching from local professional football club, school council elections, physical education and sports activities, speech therapy, occupational therapy, personal social and health-related courses, individual counselling

Brent Knoll School is a good school that provides education for pupils with autism and complex social, communication and interaction difficulties. The experienced headteacher has built an effective leadership team that has consistently improved teaching quality and pupil achievement.

At a Glance

58.9%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

Yes

Sixth Form

SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

35 responses
Would recommend97%
Child is happy97%
Well taught97%
Good progress83%
Feels safe94%
Well behaved94%
Bullying dealt with11%
Kept informed94%
Handles concerns66%
Wider development91%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+8ppMathsWriting

Reading has improved from 0% to 8%. Maths has remained stable at around 0%. Writing has remained stable at around 0%.

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Lower Sydenham Rail Station
918m · 15 min walk
Lower Sydenham (Entrance)
945m · 15 min walk

Bus Stops

Adamsrill Road (Stop LT)
134m · 2 min walk
Ardley Close (Stop LW)
138m · 2 min walk
Bell Green (Stop LS)
163m · 3 min walk
Garlies Road (->S)
190m · 3 min walk
Houston Road (->N)
277m · 5 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

112%

Over capacity

181 pupils

162 capacity

19 places over capacity

Area Demand Pressure - London

Medium pressure
New homes approved:104,823
Projected new pupils:18,868

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for London

Admissions Demand - Lewisham

Moderate demand1.30x oversubscription

Places available

2,251

Applications

2,923

Got 1st preference

63.9%

Got preferred school

93.5%

Secondary admissions across Lewisham (2025/26)

Inspection History(8)

27 November 2024
5 June 2019
8 July 2015
Good
Leadership & ManagementGood

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

8.04266%

Overall absence

27.27273%

Persistent absence

165

Enrolments

Authorised5.45464%
Unauthorised2.58803%
Persistent (10%+)27.27273%
Severe (50%+)1.21212%

Absence trend

6.66129%
18/19
7.59145%
20/21
8.43276%
21/22
9.63232%
22/23
8.43419%
23/24
8.04266%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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