Hillside Special School, Sudbury
Hillside Special School is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 19 in Sudbury. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Hillside Special School in detail
Hillside Special School in its own words
In its own words: "Please view the About Us menu to the right (or below, on a phone or tablet) and click on the area you wish to view."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Hillside Special School are Chalk Hill (1 mile) and The Ryes College (4.7 miles).
What parents say
23 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Hillside Special School (as of September 2025): 96% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 50% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (50%).
Who goes there
47.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 6.7% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
Almost every pupil at Hillside Special School has an education, health and care plan (89 of 89 in 2026). The most common need among them is a severe learning difficulty.
Hillside Special School provides for pupils with severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Entrance, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ormiston Sudbury Academy (outside), 200 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 132 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Suffolk (32), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Hillside Special School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
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; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from January 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
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Hillside excels at building positive relationships with pupils and preparing them exceptionally well for life after school through community-based learning. Staff provide caring, skilled support tailored to individual needs, and pupils respond with outstanding behaviour, motivation and independence. The school has a strong curriculum focused on communication, life skills and work experience that equips older pupils brilliantly for their next stages.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional behaviour and personal development - pupils are highly motivated, behave exceptionally well, and show strong independence
- Outstanding preparation for adulthood with meticulously planned community-based learning opportunities
- Strong communication and language curriculum with consistent strategies to help pupils develop a voice
- Effective staff training and support from leaders, with staff expertise in meeting special educational needs
- Well-designed curriculum that uses pupils' education, health and care plans to create individual learning targets
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistencies in teaching expertise and subject knowledge across staff, sometimes leading to support not being precisely matched to individual pupil needs
- School improvement priorities lack clarity and measurability, making it difficult to evaluate the impact of improvement work
- Need to ensure all staff have the expertise to match support more precisely to pupils' individual needs
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Yoga classes, sports leaders programme, Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme, Kestrel Café (work experience), community visits to local parks and shops, police station visits
Hillside Special School is a community special school for pupils aged 4 to 19 with profound and multiple learning disabilities and severe learning disabilities. Pupils love attending the school, arriving with smiles and benefiting from caring staff who build incredibly positive relationships with them.
At a Glance
47.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
SLD, PMLD
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 2 nearby schools
Keep up with Hillside Special School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Hillside Special School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Hillside Special School is in Suffolk; for families living there:
Apply to Suffolk for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 10
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 8 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 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 Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 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
95%
Near capacity
89 pupils
94 places
5 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Sudbury
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Sudbury
Across Suffolk council
Places available
8,475
Applications
7,204
Got 1st preference
92.7%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All secondary applications across Suffolk council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(9)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Outstanding, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
89
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Hillside Special School provides for pupils with 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
89
Total Pupils
62
Boys
27
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
6.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,727
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
10.9%
Overall absence
26.3%
Persistent absence
80
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
Questions parents ask about Hillside Special School
What are SATs results like at Hillside Special School?
Of the pupils at Hillside 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 Hillside Special School's Ofsted rating?
Hillside Special School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Hillside Special School?
No fixed boundary. When Hillside Special School is oversubscribed, Suffolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Hillside Special School?
Hillside Special School has around 89 pupils on roll. 47% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Hillside Special School have specialist SEN provision?
Hillside Special School provides for pupils with severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
What is attendance like at Hillside Special School?
10.9% of sessions were missed at Hillside Special School in 2024/25. 26.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Hillside Special School?
Apply through Suffolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Hillside Special School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Hillside Special School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 8 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 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 Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Hillside Special School?
Hillside Special School is at Hitchcock Place, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 1NN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)