Chapel Bridge School, Plymouth
Chapel Bridge School is a special school for pupils aged 6 to 19 in Plymouth. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Chapel Bridge School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Chapel Bridge School are Courtlands School (2.5 miles, Inadequate); Mount Tamar School (2.7 miles); Mount Tamar School (2.7 miles); and Brook Green Centre for Learning (3.1 miles, Outstanding).
Courtlands SchoolMount Tamar SchoolMount Tamar SchoolBrook Green Centre for Learning
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Chapel Bridge School has an education, health and care plan (100 of 100 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Plymouth Rail Station, about 1060 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).
16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Stoke Road (se-bound), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Chapel Bridge School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 1223 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 Plymouth (196), 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 September 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Chapel Bridge School excels at creating a safe and supportive environment for vulnerable pupils with complex needs. The school has invested in high-quality facilities thoughtfully designed with pupils' sensory needs in mind, maintains excellent staff-to-pupil ratios, and demonstrates exceptional commitment to safeguarding through regular training and robust procedures. Leadership is strong and clearly focused on providing both excellent education and outstanding pastoral care.
Key Strengths
- Strong and embedded culture of safeguarding with comprehensive systems and regular staff training
- Well-designed premises with first floor refurbished to high standard, including sensory-friendly colour schemes and appropriate acoustics
- Excellent staff-to-pupil ratios maintained even with expansion plans
- Thorough risk assessments and individual safety plans developed for each pupil
- Clear leadership vision focused on providing high-quality education and pastoral care
Areas for Improvement
- Showers currently not in use - school accessing facilities at local leisure centre instead
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective with a strong and embedded culture, comprehensive secure systems, regular staff training, and pupils confident to report concerns to the designated safeguarding team.
Chapel Bridge School is an independent special school for pupils aged 6-19 with complex needs including autism and social, emotional and mental health difficulties. The school is likely to meet independent school standards following its planned expansion from 100 to 120 pupils.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Chapel Bridge School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 61
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 8
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 61 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 53 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
8 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 Plymouth is 22 (the median across 107 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
80%
Available places
100 pupils
125 places
25 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Plymouth
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Plymouth
Across Plymouth council
Places available
3,165
Applications
2,761
Got 1st preference
91.7%
Got preferred school
98.9%
All secondary applications across Plymouth council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
100
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Chapel Bridge 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
100
Total Pupils
66
Boys
34
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Chapel Bridge School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Chapel Bridge School
What is Chapel Bridge School's Ofsted rating?
Chapel Bridge School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2024, it was rated Good.
Does Chapel Bridge School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in June 2024, Chapel Bridge School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Chapel Bridge School?
Chapel Bridge School has around 100 pupils on roll.
Does Chapel Bridge School have specialist SEN provision?
Chapel Bridge School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Chapel Bridge School?
Chapel Bridge 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 Chapel Bridge School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 61 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 53 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 8 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 Plymouth is 22 (the median across 107 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Chapel Bridge School?
Chapel Bridge School is at 99 Craigie Drive, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 3JL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)