Churchill Special Free School, Haverhill
Churchill Special Free School is a special school for pupils aged 9 to 18 in Haverhill, part of Unity Schools Partnership. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2015)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Churchill Special Free School in detail
Churchill Special Free School in its own words
In its own words: "Responsibility Taking ownership of our own successes and understanding how our actions affect ourselves and others Resilience Staying strong when things go wrong. Bouncing back and trying again"
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Churchill School, part of the Unity Schools Partnership, a unique environment which caters for students aged between 8 and 18 who are of average or above average cognitive ability, usually with a diagnosis of language and communication difficulties and high functioning autism. Students at Churchill school are at the centre of everything we do."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, coding, cooking and gardening.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
The trust
Churchill Special Free School is one of 40 schools run by Unity Schools Partnership, an academy trust.
What parents say
15 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Churchill Special Free School (as of September 2025): 80% would recommend the school, 87% say their child is happy there and 25% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school supports their child's wider development (93%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (25%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 11 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 82% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 64% to a further education college.
Who goes there
30.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 0% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
Almost every pupil at Churchill Special Free School has an education, health and care plan (81 of 82 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Churchill Special Free School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 94 places, 82 pupils on roll.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Churchill Special Free School.
20 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Primary School (adjacent), 30 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 66 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, public order offences and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Suffolk (32), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Churchill Special Free School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from July 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils love their school as this is a place where they can be themselves. Pupils build important social skills and make friends. Adults support pupils to celebrate their neurodiversity and recognise the shared similarities they have with others, regardless of background. One pupil echoed many others by saying 'this is a school that any pupil in the world would want to go to'.
All staff know pupils' special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) incredibly well. Staff give pupils highly effective speech, language and therapeutic support. This helps pupils to behave well and make exceptional progress.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Since the previous inspection, the school has accurately evaluated and improved its curriculum to reflect the changing needs of its pupils. The exceptional success of the curriculum is down to the way staff consistently and effectively help pupils to learn. The school and trust ensure staff access relevant professional development. This means staff know the most effective ways to support pupils with their learning. Staff adapt lessons expertly around pupils' often various complex needs and backgrounds.
When pupils begin at the school, high-quality assessment picks up pupils' varied gaps in knowledge. The school works robustly to bridge these gaps in understanding, such as in reading. This ensures all pupils have the knowledge needed to access the ambitious curriculum. Despite the small size of the school, pupils study a range of subjects to GCSE level and beyond, should they choose to stay in the sixth form. By the time pupils leave the school, they have progressed exceptionally well from their varied starting points. All pupils move on to further study or training.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded 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.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its July 2015 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
30.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Speech and language, Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
15 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 67% to 75% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 33% to 25% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 67% to 38% (2024 to 2025).
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 1 nearby school
Keep up with Churchill Special Free School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Churchill Special Free School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Churchill Special Free School is in Suffolk; for families living there:
Apply to Suffolk for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
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 Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 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
87%
Available places
82 pupils
94 places
12 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Haverhill
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Haverhill
Across Suffolk council
Places available
8,475
Applications
7,204
Got 1st preference
92.7%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All secondary applications across Suffolk council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
1
SEN Support
81
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Churchill Special Free School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 94 places, 82 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
82
Total Pupils
65
Boys
17
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
7.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,357
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.0%
Overall absence
7.2%
Persistent absence
69
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Churchill Special Free School
Questions parents ask about Churchill Special Free School
What are GCSE results like at Churchill Special Free School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Churchill Special Free School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 29.9. 17% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Churchill Special Free School's Ofsted rating?
Churchill Special Free School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2015, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Churchill Special Free School?
No fixed boundary. When Churchill Special Free School is oversubscribed, Suffolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Churchill Special Free School?
Churchill Special Free School has around 82 pupils on roll. 31% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Churchill Special Free School have specialist SEN provision?
Churchill Special Free School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 94 places, 82 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Churchill Special Free School?
4% of sessions were missed at Churchill Special Free School in 2024/25. 7.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Churchill Special Free School?
Apply through Suffolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Churchill Special Free School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Churchill Special Free School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 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 Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Churchill Special Free School?
Churchill Special Free School is at Chalkstone Way, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 0LB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)