Littledown School, Slough
Littledown School is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Slough, part of The Specialist Education Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Littledown School in detail
Littledown School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Littledown is a special school which supports children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties (SEMH). Littledown School is currently funded for up to 38 primary aged pupils (4-11 years), with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Littledown School are Darul Madinah (0.7 miles, Good); Hillingdon Grange School (1 mile); Arbour Vale School (1.7 miles, Good); and The Green Room School (2.6 miles, Outstanding).
Darul MadinahHillingdon Grange SchoolArbour Vale SchoolThe Green Room School
The trust
Littledown School is run by its own single-school academy trust.
Who goes there
57.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 2.6% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (68%), Black (5%) and Asian (5%).
Almost every pupil at Littledown School has an education, health and care plan (38 of 38 in 2026). The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Littledown School provides for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Slough Rail Station, about 380 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Queens Road (near), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 708 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Slough (290), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Littledown School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
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; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from May 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Some aspects are not as strong as at the last graded inspection.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Staff at Littledown create a caring, welcoming environment where pupils who have struggled in other schools develop confidence and feel safe. The school offers ambitious, enriching learning through visits, forest education and a broad curriculum. Staff are calm, patient and deeply understand each child's needs, helping them build positive relationships and greater self-esteem.
Key Strengths
- Staff build warm, trusting relationships with pupils and help them develop confidence and self-worth
- Reading is taught well through a structured phonics programme with good progress in fluency
- Mathematics teaching has improved and most pupils are building secure knowledge
- Wider curriculum enrichment, including forest visits and residential trips, supports strong social development
- Clear routines and effective support help reduce pupil anxiety and address attendance concerns
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching approaches and curriculum changes have not been consistently embedded, leading to inconsistencies in pupil progress
- Writing instruction lacks sufficient focus on sentence construction and handwriting
- Behaviour de-escalation strategies are not fully effective, resulting in too many incidents requiring physical intervention
- Governance responsibilities between the trust board and local governing body are unclear, affecting accountability
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Weekly forest visits, visits to places of interest including London, residential visits
Littledown School is a specialist school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, where most pupils have experienced difficulties before joining. The school has faced staffing challenges and inconsistencies in teaching quality, which means pupils are not achieving as well as they could.
At a Glance
57.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SEMH
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 9% to 13% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 9% to 0% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 18% to 0% (2024 to 2025).
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Latest from Littledown School
School IEP Day
3 Jul 2026
Our New Website!
10 May 2026
Website Connectivity
27 Oct 2025
IEP Day
27 Oct 2025
Website Connectivity
27 Oct 2025
IEP Day
27 Oct 2025
From Littledown School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Littledown School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Littledown School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Littledown School is in Slough; for families living there:
- Slough's school travel policy: Home to School (5-16) Travel Assistance Policy 2026-27 PDF 350kB download PDF 350kB Download
- How to apply: Apply for Home to school travel assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 44
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 9
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 44 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 9 serious and 35 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on a bicycle.
11 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 Slough is 27.5 (the median across 60 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
79%
Available places
38 pupils
48 places
10 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Slough
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Slough
Across Slough council
Places available
2,589
Applications
2,239
Got 1st preference
68.7%
Got preferred school
94.9%
All secondary applications across Slough council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
38
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Littledown School provides for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
38
Total Pupils
32
Boys
6
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
3.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,769
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
13.4%
Overall absence
38.6%
Persistent absence
44
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Linked Schools
Schools linked by geographic proximity
Littledown School
Showing 10 of 11 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Littledown School
What are SATs results like at Littledown School?
Of the pupils at Littledown School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 13% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is Littledown School's Ofsted rating?
Littledown School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Littledown School?
No fixed boundary. When Littledown School is oversubscribed, Slough allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Littledown School?
Littledown School has around 38 pupils on roll. 58% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Littledown School have specialist SEN provision?
Littledown School provides for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
What is attendance like at Littledown School?
13.4% of sessions were missed at Littledown School in 2024/25. 38.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Littledown School?
Apply through Slough's coordinated admissions process, naming Littledown 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 Littledown School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 44 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 9 serious and 35 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on a bicycle. 11 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 Slough is 27.5 (the median across 60 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Littledown School?
Littledown School is at Queens Road, Slough, Berkshire, SL1 3QW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)