Meadowfield School, SITTINGBOURNE
Meadowfield School is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 19 in Sittingbourne. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
Data last updated 1 Nov 2026
Meadowfield School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Meadowfield School are KITE College (0.9 miles); ALP Sittingbourne (1 mile, Good); Aspire School (2.1 miles, Requires improvement); and ISP School (2.4 miles, Good).
What parents say
31 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Meadowfield School (as of September 2025): 71% would recommend the school, 77% say their child is happy there and 36% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (81%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (36%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 20 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 95% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 15% to a further education college.
Who goes there
52.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 4.8% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
Almost every pupil at Meadowfield School has an education, health and care plan (396 of 396 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Meadowfield School provides for pupils with 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 Sittingbourne Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Sittingbourne School Grounds (in), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Meadowfield School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 238 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Kent (101), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Meadowfield School issued 4 suspensions, 1 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; 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 November 2014, 11 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
Early Years
Sixth Form
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Meadowfield School excels at creating warm, supportive relationships where pupils feel safe and happy to learn. The school provides excellent reading support and strong early years provision that prepares children well for the next stage. Staff are committed and well-trained, with effective systems in place to support pupils' complex needs through specialist therapies and personalised care.
Key Strengths
- Strong reading provision with effective phonics tracking and support for struggling readers
- Excellent early years provision where children develop skills needed for their next steps
- Positive relationships between staff and pupils, creating a safe and happy learning environment
- Effective personalised support for pupils' complex needs through skilled therapy and well-being teams
- Good pupil attendance and behaviour supported by precise monitoring and clear strategies
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent teaching quality and gaps in subject knowledge among some staff
- Curriculum sequence is unclear in some subjects, stopping pupils from building skills over time
- Sixth form qualifications lack ambition and do not prepare students well enough for their next steps
- School leadership lacks clear processes to evaluate the impact of curriculum and teaching
- Some older pupils receive tasks that are not challenging enough
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Musical instrument lessons, school sports teams, Meadowsbury festival performances, clubs
Meadowfield School is a special school for pupils aged 4-19 with complex needs including speech and language difficulties, autism, and physical disabilities. The school has experienced recent leadership changes and rapid growth, with overall education quality requiring improvement despite good behaviour and personal development outcomes.
At a Glance
52.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Speech and language, Autism, Physical +3
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
31 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 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Meadowfield School
Nurseries
The nearest nurseries and pre-schools to Meadowfield School, with their latest published grades:
- Baby Moonbeams Day Nursery - Pre-school, under 0.1 milesOfsted report card, 2 July 2026: Strong standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met
- Stepping Stones - Day nursery, 0.4 milesOfsted, 17 March 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Busy Bees Day Nursery at Sittingbourne - Day nursery, 0.5 milesOfsted, 2 November 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Goldilocks Nursery - Day nursery, 0.6 milesOfsted, 13 December 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Cedartree Preschool - Pre-school, 0.9 milesOfsted report card, 3 December 2025: Strong standard in 1 area, Expected standard in 5 areas; safeguarding standards met
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Meadowfield School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Meadowfield School is in Kent; for families living there:
Apply to Kent for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 25
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 22 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise.
10 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 Kent is 11 (the median across 711 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight are DfT estimates (severity adjustment). Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
108%
Over capacity
396 pupils
366 places
30 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Across Kent council
Places available
19,539
Applications
18,644
Got 1st preference
78.9%
Got preferred school
96.2%
All secondary applications across Kent council (2026/27), not just this school.
New homes granted nearby
Councils granted planning permission for at least 84 new homes within 2 miles of Meadowfield School since October 2023.
Largest schemes
- 51 homes at Cockleshell Walk Car Park St Michaels Road Sittingbourne Kent ME10 1AUMid Kent, ref 23/503228/FULL - granted 18 March 2025, 1.2 miles away
- 33 homes at Moores Yard Crown Quay Lane Sittingbourne ME10 3JNMid Kent, ref 20/501631/FULL - granted 4 October 2024, 0.9 miles away
Schemes of 10 or more homes. Only full and outline permissions with the number of homes stated in the application are counted, and applications that may be for the same homes are counted once, so the true figure can be higher. Source: councils' planning registers.
Inspection History(8)
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
396
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Meadowfield School provides for pupils with 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
396
Total Pupils
268
Boys
128
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
59
Teachers
6.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,833
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
13.5%
Overall absence
42.2%
Persistent absence
334
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
Meadowfield School
Showing 10 of 13 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Meadowfield School
What are SATs results like at Meadowfield School?
Of the pupils at Meadowfield School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 0% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is Meadowfield School's Ofsted rating?
Meadowfield School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, was ungraded. At its last graded inspection, in November 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
How many pupils go to Meadowfield School?
Meadowfield School has around 396 pupils on roll. 53% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Meadowfield School have specialist SEN provision?
Meadowfield School provides for pupils with 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 Meadowfield School?
13.5% of sessions were missed at Meadowfield School in 2024/25. 42.2% of pupils were persistently absent.
How many road collisions happen near Meadowfield School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 22 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise. 10 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 Kent is 11 (the median across 711 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Meadowfield School?
Meadowfield School is at Swanstree Avenue, SITTINGBOURNE, Kent, ME10 4NL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)