Heather Bridge School, Yelverton
Heather Bridge School is a special school for pupils aged 6 to 18 in Yelverton. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2024.
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Heather Bridge School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Heather Bridge School are The Wildings Lovaton (1.8 miles) and Castlebridge School (4.8 miles).
What parents say
19 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Heather Bridge School (as of September 2025): 68% would recommend the school, 74% say their child is happy there and 38% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school supports their child's wider development (74%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (38%).
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Heather Bridge School has an education, health and care plan (60 of 60 in 2026).
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Heather Bridge School.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Merrivale View Road (n-bound), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 2 crimes within a mile of the school, most often other theft and vehicle crime. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Devon (16).
Sources: 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years 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 December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Heather Bridge School excels at building confidence in pupils who have had disrupted education, using caring relationships and high expectations to help them re-engage with learning. The school creates a personalised curriculum that balances social and emotional support with academic learning, drawing on pupils' strengths and interests. Staff are dedicated professionals who believe in their pupils' potential and support them to develop aspirations for their futures.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on relationships and pastoral care, helping pupils feel safe and building trust with staff
- Creative curriculum approach using 'enterprise learning projects' with industry experts to build skills like collaboration and resilience
- Effective reading programme with regular library visits and emphasis on reading for pleasure
- Successful attendance support resulting in increased attendance for previously reluctant pupils
- Staff empowered through strong professional development and feeling valued in their roles
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching not consistently adapted precisely enough to meet pupils' academic learning needs
- New content sometimes not introduced clearly enough, with activities not well matched to intended learning
- Approach to teaching writing and handwriting not fully effective, limiting pupils' development of writing skills
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with clear procedures and an open, positive culture that prioritises pupil safety.
Extracurricular Activities
Library visits, enterprise learning projects, Explore space, Horizon space
Heather Bridge School is a special school for pupils with SEND that prioritises re-engaging students with education through strong relationships and high expectations. The school received a Good rating overall across all areas.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
19 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 3 nearby schools
Keep up with Heather Bridge School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
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, 1 serious and 3 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
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 Devon is 3 (the median across 426 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
100%
Full
60 pupils
60 places
No spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Yelverton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Yelverton
Across Devon council
Places available
7,788
Applications
7,251
Got 1st preference
93.3%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All secondary applications across Devon council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
60
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Heather 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
60
Total Pupils
29
Boys
31
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Heather Bridge School
What are GCSE results like at Heather Bridge School?
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 Heather Bridge School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is Heather Bridge School's Ofsted rating?
Heather Bridge School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in December 2024.
Does Heather Bridge School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in December 2024, Heather Bridge School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Heather Bridge School?
Heather Bridge School has around 60 pupils on roll.
Does Heather Bridge School have specialist SEN provision?
Heather Bridge School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Heather Bridge School?
Heather 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 Heather Bridge 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, 1 serious and 3 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 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 Devon is 3 (the median across 426 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Heather Bridge School?
Heather Bridge School is at Princetown Road, Yelverton, Devon, PL20 6NN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)