Castle Garden School, Guildford
Castle Garden School is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 18 in Guildford.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Castle Garden School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Castle Garden School are Pond Meadow School (1.7 miles, Outstanding); Bramley Oak Academy (2.1 miles, Good); Gosden House School (2.3 miles, Outstanding); and Unsted Park School (3.2 miles, Good).
Pond Meadow SchoolBramley Oak AcademyGosden House SchoolUnsted Park School
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Castle Garden School has an education, health and care plan (32 of 32 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is London Road (Guildford) Rail Station, about 760 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Millbrook, 320 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Castle Garden School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 426 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 Surrey (76), 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 GIASISI Inspection Reports
Independent schools in England are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), not Ofsted. Ofsted last inspected this school in 18 June 2024, before the latest ISI inspection.
Non-Routine Inspection
20 July 2026
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils feel a keen sense of belonging at Castle Garden School. Staff ensure that they receive individual support to enable them to flourish. All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and most have missed significant parts of their education before they join. Staff carefully plan transition activities to help everyone settle in quickly. Pupils achieve well because of the high expectations staff have for them.
Staff get to know pupils' needs very well. Everyone is valued as an individual. Therapists work alongside education staff to support pupils to develop their communication skills and independence. Pupils learn a variety of approaches to communicate, including using Makaton. Staff help pupils to understand the school's clear routines and expectations. This helps them to behave well so they are ready to learn. Sometimes pupils need bespoke support to manage their feelings and emotions. Staff are quick to provide individual help to pupils who need it. Disruption to learning is very uncommon.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Leaders are resolute in their ambitions for all pupils. Since opening, the school has reviewed the curriculum thoroughly. The broad curriculum is carefully matched to pupils' needs. Pupils' education, health and care (EHC) plan targets provide the starting points for teachers to adapt the curriculum. Staff use 'Individual Therapeutic and Education Plans' to identify the right steps for pupils to access learning and progress through the curriculum. Reading features prominently throughout the school day. Most staff are trained well to teach early reading using the school's chosen approach. There has been a sharp focus on improving pupils' mathematics knowledge and understanding. Pupils relish putting their new counting skills to effective use, including on visits to the local supermarket.
The school has prioritised designing the English and mathematics curriculums. Other subjects are not as fully developed. In some subjects, the school has not completed its work to identify the precise knowledge and skills that pupils will learn. In these subjects, curriculum thinking focuses too much on engaging activities, rather than what is to be learned by doing them.
From Ofsted's June 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Latest from Castle Garden School
Green Mark Achievement
22 Jul 2026
Temporary School Closure
26 Jun 2026
Feedback from our lovely families at Castle Garden School
1 Jun 2026
Sportability Trip
14 May 2026
Check out the ways we look after the planet!
16 Apr 2026
World Book Day
19 Mar 2026
From Castle Garden School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Castle Garden School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 55
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 17
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 55 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 17 serious and 37 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
15 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 Surrey is 13 (the median across 521 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
43%
Available places
32 pupils
74 places
42 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Guildford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Guildford
Across Surrey council
Places available
12,569
Applications
11,986
Got 1st preference
81.3%
Got preferred school
96.2%
All secondary applications across Surrey council (2026/27), not just this school.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
32
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Castle Garden 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
32
Total Pupils
23
Boys
9
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Castle Garden School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Castle Garden School
When was Castle Garden School last inspected?
Castle Garden School is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) rather than Ofsted. Its most recent ISI inspection was a non-routine inspection in July 2026.
How many pupils go to Castle Garden School?
Castle Garden School has around 32 pupils on roll.
Does Castle Garden School have specialist SEN provision?
Castle Garden School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Castle Garden School?
Castle Garden 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 Castle Garden School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 55 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 17 serious and 37 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 15 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 Surrey is 13 (the median across 521 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Castle Garden School?
Castle Garden School is at Pewely Hill, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 3SQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)