Papillon House, Tadworth
Papillon House is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 19 in Tadworth. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Papillon House in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Papillon House are Bramley Hill School (1.3 miles, Good); Merrywood House Independent Special School (1.8 miles); The Children's Trust School (2.8 miles, Outstanding); and Brooklands School (3.2 miles).
Bramley Hill SchoolMerrywood House Independent Special SchoolThe Children's Trust SchoolBrooklands School
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Papillon House has an education, health and care plan (42 of 42 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Betchworth Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Headley Common Road (w-bound), 200 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Papillon House stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 4 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour and violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Surrey (76).
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 · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
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 September 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Papillon House is a deeply caring school where children with autism thrive emotionally and academically. Staff use expert knowledge and patience to support pupils who struggle with emotions, helping them stay calm and ready to learn. The school offers a rich, personalised curriculum with therapy, sports, swimming, trips, and vocational opportunities that build pupils' independence, confidence and real-world skills.
Key Strengths
- Excellent behaviour and outstanding personal development due to high expectations and expert emotional support
- Highly inclusive approach with skilled staff who adapt resources and design personalised learning to help all pupils succeed
- Strong reading programme with pupils becoming fluent, confident readers who enjoy books
- Exceptional sixth-form provision with meaningful work experience, vocational activities, and life skills development
- Warm, nurturing relationships and therapeutic support that helps pupils overcome challenges and feel safe and secure
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers' checks on pupil understanding do not always identify misconceptions precisely enough, which can prevent some pupils from achieving their best
- Need to ensure assessment routinely informs adaptations to learning tasks
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong culture prioritising pupils' interests and safety.
Extracurricular Activities
Tennis, horse riding, gym membership, lunchtime sports clubs, swimming programme, trips to miniature steam railway and historical sites, voluntary work, food preparation and service in sixth form, work experience
Papillon House is a special school in Surrey where pupils with autism spectrum disorder are thriving in a deeply caring and ambitious environment. The school has maintained its Good overall effectiveness rating while achieving Outstanding grades in behaviour, personal development, leadership, and sixth-form provision.
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 Papillon House
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 26
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 19 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt.
8 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 Surrey is 13 (the median across 521 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
42 pupils
42 places
No spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Tadworth
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Tadworth
Across Surrey council
Places available
12,569
Applications
11,986
Got 1st preference
81.3%
Got preferred school
96.2%
All secondary applications across Surrey council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
42
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Papillon House 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
42
Total Pupils
31
Boys
11
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Papillon House
Questions parents ask about Papillon House
What is Papillon House's Ofsted rating?
Papillon House was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2025.
Does Papillon House meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in September 2025, Papillon House met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Papillon House?
Papillon House has around 42 pupils on roll.
Does Papillon House have specialist SEN provision?
Papillon House is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Papillon House?
Papillon House 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 Papillon House?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 19 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt. 8 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 Surrey is 13 (the median across 521 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Papillon House?
Papillon House is at Pebble Close, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20 7PA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)