Critchill Special School, Frome
Critchill Special School is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 19 in Frome, part of Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
Data last updated 1 Nov 2026
Critchill Special School in detail
Critchill Special School in its own words
In its own words: "ASPIRATION - Our students are at the centre of Critchill School. Our holistic, aspirational approach to education enables our students to make a full and positive contribution to school and community and fully prepares them for future success. Students become independent and valued members of society having achieved their potential academically, socially and in employment."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Critchill Special School are Wessex Lodge School (0.5 miles); Fromefield Manor School (1.1 miles, Good); North Hill House (1.1 miles, Inadequate); and Newbury Manor School (4.3 miles, Good).
Wessex Lodge SchoolFromefield Manor SchoolNorth Hill HouseNewbury Manor School
The trust
Critchill Special School is one of 44 schools run by Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership, an academy trust.
What parents say
23 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Critchill Special School (as of September 2025): 96% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (67%).
Who goes there
41.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 5.2% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
Almost every pupil at Critchill Special School has an education, health and care plan (96 of 96 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Critchill Special School provides for pupils with autism, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Frome Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Westover (ne-bound), 320 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 151 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 Somerset (22), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Critchill Special School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; 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 September 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Sixth Form
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Critchill Special School excels at transforming the lives of children and young people with complex needs through a deeply personalised approach to learning. Staff build warm, nurturing relationships with pupils and adapt teaching to help each child develop strong communication skills, academic progress and independence. The school prepares students exceptionally well for adult life through work placements, community involvement and a focus on building confidence as valued community members.
Key Strengths
- Highly personalised curriculum designed with precision to meet each pupil's individual learning needs and strengths
- Outstanding approach to communication skills development, including sign language, symbols and phonics taught through creative methods like hydrotherapy
- Exceptional careers programme and work experience opportunities that prepare students for adult life, including placements with local employers
- Visionary behaviour management approach built on strong staff relationships that results in excellent pupil behaviour and attitudes
- Expert leadership at all levels with strong support from governors and the trust
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with school leadership creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
School council, football, playground activities, bicycle maintenance, work placements with local employers, catering van at Frome market, hydrotherapy pool sessions
Critchill Special School is an outstanding special school that enables pupils with complex needs and severe learning difficulties to thrive and excel across all areas of development. The school has improved from its previous Good rating to achieve Outstanding across all key inspection areas.
At a Glance
41.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Autism, MLD, SLD +1
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
23 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Critchill Special School
Nurseries
The nearest nurseries and pre-schools to Critchill Special School, with their latest published grades:
- Bright Stars Childcare - Day nursery, 0.3 milesOfsted report card, 20 May 2026: Expected standard in 2 areas, Needs attention in 4 areas; safeguarding standards met
- Cuddles & Care Children's Day Nursery Frome - Day nursery, 0.6 milesOfsted, 2 September 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Sunflower Montessori Nursery - Day nursery, 0.8 milesOfsted, 18 January 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- The Garden Nursery Frome - Pre-school, 1.0 miles
- Rainbow Nursery - Day nursery, 1.0 milesOfsted, 10 March 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Critchill Special School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Critchill Special School is in Somerset; for families living there:
- How to apply: Apply for School travel assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
2 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 Somerset is 3 (the median across 307 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight are DfT estimates (severity adjustment). Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
113%
Over capacity
96 pupils
85 places
11 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Across Somerset council
Places available
4,902
Applications
4,659
Got 1st preference
92.1%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All secondary applications across Somerset council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(3)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
96
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Critchill Special School provides for pupils with autism, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
96
Total Pupils
68
Boys
28
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
6.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,474
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.7%
Overall absence
16.9%
Persistent absence
83
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
Critchill Special School
Questions parents ask about Critchill Special School
What are SATs results like at Critchill Special School?
Of the pupils at Critchill Special School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 0% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is Critchill Special School's Ofsted rating?
Critchill Special School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded. At its last graded inspection, in September 2014, it was rated Good.
How many pupils go to Critchill Special School?
Critchill Special School has around 96 pupils on roll. 42% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Critchill Special School have specialist SEN provision?
Critchill Special School provides for pupils with autism, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
What is attendance like at Critchill Special School?
5.7% of sessions were missed at Critchill Special School in 2024/25. 16.9% of pupils were persistently absent.
How many road collisions happen near Critchill Special School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 2 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 Somerset is 3 (the median across 307 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Critchill Special School?
Critchill Special School is at Nunney Road, Frome, Somerset, BA11 4LB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)