High Peak School, Cheshire
High Peak School is a special school for pupils aged 7 to 16 in Cheshire. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2025. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
High Peak School in detail
High Peak School in its own words
Coming up: an admissions event on Tuesday 3 November 2026, an admissions event on Thursday 5 November 2026, an admissions event on Friday 13 November 2026 and an admissions event on Tuesday 17 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Cheshire East
Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to High Peak School are Windlehurst School (3.3 miles, Good); Peak School (3.8 miles, Requires improvement); Acorns School (4.2 miles, Requires improvement); and Castle Hill High School (5.9 miles, Outstanding).
Windlehurst SchoolPeak SchoolAcorns SchoolCastle Hill High School
What parents say
33 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about High Peak School (as of September 2025): 73% would recommend the school, 76% say their child is happy there and 50% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (76%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (50%).
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at High Peak School has an education, health and care plan (85 of 85 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Disley Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 2 crimes within a mile of the school, most often public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Cheshire East (61).
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 · 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
High Peak School maintains high standards of health and safety with thorough fire safety checks, detailed risk assessments for each pupil's individual needs, and well-maintained facilities. The school provides a safe, supportive environment with good staff supervision and careful planning to ensure the expansion does not negatively impact current pupils. Leaders demonstrate strong expertise and commitment to continuous improvement.
Key Strengths
- Strong safeguarding systems with up-to-date policies and well-trained leadership -
- Excellent health and safety procedures including thorough fire safety compliance and detailed risk assessments tailored to individual pupil needs -
- Well-maintained premises with suitable facilities for the expanded pupil numbers, including indoor sports complex and extensive outdoor spaces -
- Effective leadership and management with careful consideration of how expansion will impact existing pupils
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective with an appropriate up-to-date policy, well-trained leadership, clear procedures for identifying and reporting concerns, and staff knowledge of how to respond to concerns about adults working at the school.
Extracurricular Activities
Physical education, outdoor recreation, animal care activities
High Peak School is an independent special school for pupils aged 7-16 with autism, ADHD, and social-emotional needs. The school is likely to meet all relevant independent school standards if its planned expansion from 90 to 110 pupils is approved.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
33 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Latest from High Peak School
Mill School Pupils Meet The Princess Royal During Special Riding Centre Visit
17 Sep 2026
Kedleston pupils celebrate nearly 1,600 qualifications and positive destinations
10 Sep 2026
From High Peak School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with High Peak School
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
The typical figure for schools in Cheshire East is 6 (the median across 180 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
77%
Available places
85 pupils
110 places
25 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Cheshire
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Cheshire
Across Cheshire East council
Places available
4,404
Applications
4,072
Got 1st preference
93.1%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All secondary applications across Cheshire East council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
85
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
High Peak 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
85
Total Pupils
52
Boys
33
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about High Peak School
What are GCSE results like at High Peak 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 High Peak School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is High Peak School's Ofsted rating?
High Peak School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2025, it was rated Good.
Does High Peak School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in February 2025, High Peak School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to High Peak School?
High Peak School has around 85 pupils on roll.
Does High Peak School have specialist SEN provision?
High Peak School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to High Peak School?
High Peak 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 High Peak School?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in Cheshire East is 6 (the median across 180 schools, same distance and years).
Where is High Peak School?
High Peak School is at Mudhurst Lane, Higher Disley, Cheshire, Cheshire, SK12 2AP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)