Lavender Lodge School, Mitcham
Lavender Lodge School is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 12 in Mitcham. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2023. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Lavender Lodge School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Lavender Lodge School are Cricket Green School (0.5 miles, Outstanding); Melrose School (0.6 miles, Good); Perseid School (1.6 miles, Outstanding); and Paddock School (1.6 miles, Outstanding).
Cricket Green SchoolMelrose SchoolPerseid SchoolPaddock School
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Lavender Lodge School has an education, health and care plan (73 of 73 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Mitcham Eastfields Station, about 630 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Downe Road / Mitcham Library, 60 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Lavender Lodge School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Sources: 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 January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Lavender Lodge School puts pupil safety and wellbeing at the very centre of everything it does. Staff receive regular training and work together in regular meetings to share information about each child's needs. The school has invested in a brand new building with excellent facilities, and has carefully planned how to welcome new pupils so they can settle in comfortably with the right support from day one.
Key Strengths
- Safeguarding is thorough with regular staff training, clear procedures, and effective record-keeping
- Small class sizes (maximum 8 pupils) with high levels of staff and specialist support
- New building is bright, spacious and well-resourced with excellent facilities
- Strong personalised approach to pupils' individual communication needs and safety
- Careful planning for expansion with staggered admission of new pupils to ensure smooth settling in
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective - the school has appropriate policies, regular staff training, clear reporting systems, and works closely with external agencies including social workers and therapists to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
PE lessons, assemblies, therapy sessions, soft play areas, library
Lavender Lodge School is an independent special school that is likely to meet all relevant independent school standards following its material change to expand pupil numbers. The school has completed a new building and appointed additional staff to support the expansion.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Lavender Lodge School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 200
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 39
- Children hurt
- 14
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 200 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 39 serious and 160 slight.
14 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 9 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise.
42 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 Merton is 48.5 (the median across 74 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
73 pupils
73 places
No spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Mitcham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Mitcham
Across Merton council
Places available
1,874
Applications
1,982
Got 1st preference
67.4%
Got preferred school
95.4%
All secondary applications across Merton council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
73
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Lavender Lodge 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
73
Total Pupils
57
Boys
16
Girls
2026 academic year
Linked Schools
Schools linked by geographic proximity
Lavender Lodge School
Questions parents ask about Lavender Lodge School
What is Lavender Lodge School's Ofsted rating?
Lavender Lodge School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2023, it was rated Good.
Does Lavender Lodge School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in December 2023, Lavender Lodge School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Lavender Lodge School?
Lavender Lodge School has around 73 pupils on roll.
Does Lavender Lodge School have specialist SEN provision?
Lavender Lodge School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Lavender Lodge School?
Lavender Lodge 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 Lavender Lodge School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 200 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 39 serious and 160 slight. 14 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 9 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise. 42 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 Merton is 48.5 (the median across 74 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Lavender Lodge School?
Lavender Lodge School is at 224 London Road, Mitcham, Surrey, CR4 3HD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)