Little Heath School, Romford
Little Heath School is a special school for pupils aged 11 to 19 in Romford. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2024 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Little Heath School in detail
Little Heath School in its own words
In its own words: "Little Heath School is a special school for children with Autism, learning difficulties and complex needs aged between 11-19. The curriculum we offer our pupils is a wide and inclusive one, offering subject specialist teaching to GCSE level for those suited to this, to a more developmental curriculum for pupils who will benefit most from that."
From the headteacher's welcome: "I feel very p rivileged to be the Headteacher of this superb school. We challenge our young people to enable them to grow as individuals. We refuse to be complacent, constantly striving for more effective and innovative ways to stretch and challenge them so that they can succeed."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football and cooking.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Little Heath School are Newbridge School (0.6 miles, Outstanding); Hatchside School (0.9 miles, Good); The Compass School (1.7 miles); and Endeavour House School (1.8 miles, Good).
Newbridge SchoolHatchside SchoolThe Compass SchoolEndeavour House School
What parents say
20 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Little Heath School (as of September 2025): 90% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 71% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (95%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (71%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 37 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 92% stayed in education or training for at least two terms.
Who goes there
50.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 52.3% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (60%), Black (13%) and Mixed (9%).
Almost every pupil at Little Heath School has an education, health and care plan (264 of 264 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Little Heath School provides for pupils with visual impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Chadwell Heath Rail Station, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hainault Road Little Heath (->w), 130 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
Little Heath School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from February 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2014 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
About
Little Heath School is a secondary special school in the Little Heath, Ilford in the east of the London Borough of Redbridge, England. There are currently 142 pupils aged between 11 and 19 on roll.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
50.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Vision, Speech and language, Autism +4
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
20 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 Little Heath School
Newsletter July 2026
17 Jul 2026
Newsletter April 2026
27 Mar 2026
Newsletter December 2025
19 Dec 2025
Newsletter July 2025
18 Jul 2025
From Little Heath School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Little Heath School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Little Heath School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Little Heath School is in Redbridge; for families living there:
Apply to Redbridge for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 62
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 12
- Children hurt
- 9
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 62 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 12 serious and 49 slight.
9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 8 in a vehicle or otherwise.
5 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 Redbridge is 56 (the median across 94 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
102%
Over capacity
264 pupils
260 places
4 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Romford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Romford
Across Redbridge council
Places available
3,708
Applications
3,422
Got 1st preference
68.4%
Got preferred school
93.3%
All secondary applications across Redbridge council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
264
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Little Heath School provides for pupils with visual impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, 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
264
Total Pupils
205
Boys
59
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
40
Teachers
6.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£57,062
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
11.5%
Overall absence
40.5%
Persistent absence
168
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
Little Heath School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Little Heath School
What are GCSE results like at Little Heath School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Little Heath School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 0.1. 0% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Little Heath School's Ofsted rating?
Little Heath School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Little Heath School?
No fixed boundary. When Little Heath School is oversubscribed, Redbridge allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Little Heath School?
Little Heath School has around 264 pupils on roll. 51% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Little Heath School have specialist SEN provision?
Little Heath School provides for pupils with visual impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
What is attendance like at Little Heath School?
11.5% of sessions were missed at Little Heath School in 2024/25. 40.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Little Heath School?
Apply through Redbridge's coordinated admissions process, naming Little Heath 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 Little Heath School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 62 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 12 serious and 49 slight. 9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 8 in a vehicle or otherwise. 5 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 Redbridge is 56 (the median across 94 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Little Heath School?
Little Heath School is at Hainault Road, Little Heath, Romford, Essex, RM6 5RX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)