Harlow Fields School and College, Harlow
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 5 months agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
The school has made significant progress under new leadership, with a comprehensive curriculum redesign that meets each child's individual needs and ambitions. Staff receive excellent professional development including medical and therapeutic training to safely support pupils' complex needs. The school has strong systems in place for safeguarding, behaviour support and attendance, with behaviour records showing that restrictive practices are used appropriately and safely.
Key Strengths
- New leadership team has improved capacity and made effective changes to provision and curriculum
- Safeguarding standards are met with an open culture where concerns are actively identified and managed
- Personalised curriculum closely aligned to pupils' individual learning targets and education, health and care plans
- Staff receiving appropriate professional development including medical and therapeutic training
- Behaviour systems improved through therapeutic approaches and de-escalation strategies
Areas for Improvement
- New systems and approaches need to be embedded securely and implemented consistently across the school
- Communication strategies and use of low- and high-tech communication systems not yet consistently applied
- Assessment processes need further refinement so staff can identify and address gaps in learning more precisely
- Unqualified teachers at different stages of development require continued support
- Limited availability of therapeutic support restricts how well staff can fully embed learned strategies
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - leaders and governors have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed.
Harlow Fields School and College is a specialist school for pupils with moderate to severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties. Leadership has stabilized following new senior appointments, and the school has made significant improvements to safeguarding, curriculum, attendance and behaviour systems.
At a Glance
30.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
49 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 0%. Maths has remained stable at around 0%. Writing has remained stable at around 0%.
Class Sizes
0.0
Avg class size
0
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
100%
Over capacity
213 pupils
214 capacity
1 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Harlow
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Harlow
Admissions Demand - Essex
Places available
17,576
Applications
16,788
Got 1st preference
83.8%
Got preferred school
97.1%
Secondary admissions across Essex (2025/26)
Inspection History(10)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
Pupil Absence2024/25
14.7089%
Overall absence
45.33333%
Persistent absence
150
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Harlow Fields School and College
Abbotsweld Primary Academy
William Martin Church of England Junior School
William Martin Church of England Infant and Nursery School
St Luke's Catholic Academy
The Downs Primary School and Nursery
Longwood Primary Academy
Pear Tree Mead Academy
Jerounds Primary Academy
Hare Street Community Primary School and Nursery
Purford Green Primary School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Nearby Schools
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