Cambian Hereford School, Leominster
Cambian Hereford School is a special school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Leominster. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Cambian Hereford School in detail
Cambian Hereford School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, rugby, cricket, cooking, gardening, Duke of Edinburgh, forest school and cheerleading.
Source: The school's own website
Who goes there
In 2026, 1 pupils (6.7%) received SEN support and 14 (93.3%) had an education, health and care plan.
Cambian Hereford School is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Leominster Rail Station, about 550 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Community Hospital (adjacent), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Cambian Hereford 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 92 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 Herefordshire, County of (4), as is usual near a town centre.
Sources: 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 · 2 years 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 March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school excels at making every pupil feel valued and included. Staff build exceptionally strong relationships with students, and the school is ambitious about what pupils can achieve. Beyond academics, the school provides outstanding personal development opportunities - from community visits and careers guidance to enrichment clubs - helping pupils develop confidence, independence and awareness of the wider world.
Key Strengths
- Exceptionally warm and respectful relationships between pupils and staff, with pupils feeling safe and well cared for
- Exceptional personal development programme including extensive community visits, careers guidance, and enrichment activities like Duke of Edinburgh's Award
- Well-designed curriculum that helps pupils build knowledge by connecting learning across subjects
- Strong leadership focus on continuous improvement with investment in professional development for staff
- Effective safeguarding arrangements that prioritise pupil welfare
Areas for Improvement
- Some teachers do not adapt their teaching effectively enough - at times work is too easy or too challenging, preventing pupils from building on prior knowledge
- Reading and writing support programme beyond phonics is still developing, meaning some pupils do not achieve as well as they should
- Literacy and numeracy intervention strategies have not been fully rolled out across the school
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Roller-skating, rock climbing, Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme, school pantomime, library visits, museum visits, educational community visits
Cambian Hereford School is a highly inclusive independent special school for pupils aged 11-19 with social, emotional and mental health needs. The school maintains good overall effectiveness with outstanding personal development provision.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Approved
Section 41
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 1 nearby school
Social & online
Keep up with Cambian Hereford School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 17
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 10 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
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 Herefordshire, County of is 2 (the median across 115 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
75%
Available places
15 pupils
20 places
5 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Leominster
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Leominster
Across Herefordshire, County of council
Places available
1,920
Applications
1,685
Got 1st preference
91.9%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All secondary applications across Herefordshire, County of council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
1
SEN Support
14
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Cambian Hereford School is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
15
Total Pupils
7
Boys
8
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Cambian Hereford School
Questions parents ask about Cambian Hereford School
What are GCSE results like at Cambian Hereford 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 Cambian Hereford School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is Cambian Hereford School's Ofsted rating?
Cambian Hereford School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2025.
Does Cambian Hereford School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in March 2025, Cambian Hereford School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Cambian Hereford School?
Cambian Hereford School has around 15 pupils on roll.
Does Cambian Hereford School have specialist SEN provision?
Cambian Hereford School is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
How do I apply to Cambian Hereford School?
Cambian Hereford 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 Cambian Hereford School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 10 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 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 Herefordshire, County of is 2 (the median across 115 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Cambian Hereford School?
Cambian Hereford School is at Coningsby Road, Leominster, Leominster, HR6 8LL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)