Compass Community School Coastal Park, Folkestone
Compass Community School Coastal Park is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 17 in Folkestone. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2025. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Compass Community School Coastal Park in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Compass Community School Coastal Park are Folkestone Beacon Plus (0.4 miles, Good); The Beacon Folkestone (0.4 miles, Outstanding); Elms School (5.3 miles, Good); and The Sallygate School (6.2 miles, Good).
Folkestone Beacon PlusThe Beacon FolkestoneElms SchoolThe Sallygate School
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Compass Community School Coastal Park has an education, health and care plan (39 of 39 in 2026).
Compass Community School Coastal Park 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 Folkestone Central Rail Station, about 290 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Radnor Park (opposite), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 539 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Kent (101), 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 · 11 months 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 November 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school specializes in supporting vulnerable pupils with significant social, emotional and mental health needs, many of whom have experienced trauma or multiple school moves. The leadership team is strongly committed to maintaining high staff-to-pupil ratios and quality pastoral care while carefully expanding the school. Across two well-maintained sites, pupils access light, spacious classrooms with specialist facilities and good outdoor spaces for learning and play.
Key Strengths
- Knowledgeable designated safeguarding leads who take effective action to keep pupils safe and understand complex safeguarding needs
- Well-maintained premises across two sites with light, spacious classrooms and specialist areas for science, music and food technology
- Strong leadership with clear vision for providing high-quality education and pastoral care to vulnerable pupils
- Thorough approach to health and safety with regular checks and risk assessments for all activities
- Careful planning for pupil expansion with gradual implementation and staff training to maintain quality provision
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective with knowledgeable designated safeguarding leads who take appropriate action, embed safeguarding across school life, and work with external agencies to keep pupils safe.
Compass Community School Coastal Park is an independent special school for pupils aged 5-17 with social, emotional and mental health needs. The school is likely to meet independent school standards if its material change request to increase pupil numbers from 38 to 60 is approved.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Approved
Section 41
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 4 nearby schools
Keep up with Compass Community School Coastal Park
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 63
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 12
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 63 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 12 serious and 51 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
12 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 Kent is 11 (the median across 711 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
65%
Available places
39 pupils
60 places
21 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Folkestone
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Folkestone
Across Kent council
Places available
19,539
Applications
18,644
Got 1st preference
78.9%
Got preferred school
96.2%
All secondary applications across Kent council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
39
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Compass Community School Coastal Park 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
39
Total Pupils
30
Boys
9
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Compass Community School Coastal Park
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Compass Community School Coastal Park
What are GCSE results like at Compass Community School Coastal Park?
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 Compass Community School Coastal Park can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is Compass Community School Coastal Park's Ofsted rating?
Compass Community School Coastal Park's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2025, it was rated Good.
Does Compass Community School Coastal Park meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in September 2025, Compass Community School Coastal Park met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Compass Community School Coastal Park?
Compass Community School Coastal Park has around 39 pupils on roll.
Does Compass Community School Coastal Park have specialist SEN provision?
Compass Community School Coastal Park 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 Compass Community School Coastal Park?
Compass Community School Coastal Park 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 Compass Community School Coastal Park?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 63 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 12 serious and 51 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 12 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 Kent is 11 (the median across 711 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Compass Community School Coastal Park?
Compass Community School Coastal Park is at 18 Wiltie Gardens, Folkestone, Kent, CT19 5AX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)