Cambian Scarborough School, Scarborough
Cambian Scarborough School is a special school for pupils aged 8 to 18 in Scarborough. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Cambian Scarborough School in detail
Cambian Scarborough 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
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Cambian Scarborough School are Springhead School (2.3 miles, Outstanding); and The Woodlands Academy (3.4 miles, Good).
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Cambian Scarborough School has an education, health and care plan (15 of 15 in 2026).
Cambian Scarborough 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 Seamer Rail Station, about 1130 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 92 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in North Yorkshire (9), 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 · 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 July 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school excels at bringing disengaged pupils back into education through caring, personalised support. Pupils benefit from strong relationships with staff and access to pastoral care that helps them talk openly about their emotions. The school also provides excellent preparation for adulthood through real work experience and community involvement.
Key Strengths
- Strong pastoral support and mental health focus that helps pupils feel positive about education
- Personalised behaviour management with individual weekly targets and rewards system
- Broad, tailored curriculum with specialist teachers in each subject area
- Effective careers guidance and work experience opportunities including volunteering and construction workshops
- Community engagement through charitable projects and educational visits to diverse locations
Areas for Improvement
- Assessment tasks at the end of units do not consistently match what has been taught, making it difficult to identify knowledge gaps
- Phonics support for early readers is not precise enough, meaning some pupils do not develop reading skills quickly enough
- The system for checking what pupils know and remember needs further refinement
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with leaders demonstrating secure knowledge to ensure pupils' interests are prioritised.
Extracurricular Activities
Volunteering at local care home, construction workshops, educational visits to multi-faith centres, community projects (outdoor furniture making for hospice, charitable work for vulnerable people centre), debate activities
Cambian Scarborough School is a special school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs that nurtures pupils back into full-time education with a strong focus on mental health and well-being. The school has been rated Good overall and meets all independent school standards.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Approved
Section 41
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 2 nearby schools
Social & online
Keep up with Cambian Scarborough School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 4 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
1 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 North Yorkshire is 3 (the median across 382 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 - Scarborough
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Scarborough
Across North Yorkshire council
Places available
7,086
Applications
5,586
Got 1st preference
91.9%
Got preferred school
98.8%
All secondary applications across North Yorkshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
15
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Cambian Scarborough 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
13
Boys
2
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Cambian Scarborough School
What are GCSE results like at Cambian Scarborough 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 Scarborough 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 Scarborough School's Ofsted rating?
Cambian Scarborough School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2025.
Does Cambian Scarborough School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in July 2025, Cambian Scarborough School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Cambian Scarborough School?
Cambian Scarborough School has around 15 pupils on roll.
Does Cambian Scarborough School have specialist SEN provision?
Cambian Scarborough 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 Scarborough School?
Cambian Scarborough 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 Scarborough School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 4 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 1 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 North Yorkshire is 3 (the median across 382 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Cambian Scarborough School?
Cambian Scarborough School is at Unit 11, Plaxton Park, Cayton Low Road, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO11 3BQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)