Red Gates School, South Croydon

Good
Special
Community special school
Mixed
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Melissa Hendry
Pupils:160 / 160 capacity
LA:Croydon
Phone:02086516540
Address:Farnborough Avenue, South Croydon, CR2 8HD
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 January 1900

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 2 years ago
-

Overall

Outstanding

Quality of Education

Outstanding

Behaviour & Attitudes

Outstanding

Personal Development

Outstanding

Leadership & Management

Outstanding

Early Years

Inspected 24 September 2024View full report
URN:101855
UKPRN:10077041
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Croydon East
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Red Gates excels at creating an inclusive, nurturing environment where pupils with severe learning difficulties make good progress. The school works exceptionally well with parents, giving them resources and guidance to support learning at home. Strong partnerships with mainstream schools and the co-located children's centre ensure all pupils benefit from inclusion opportunities alongside their peers.

Key Strengths

  • Outstanding behaviour and personal development with excellent progress in communication skills
  • Exceptional partnerships with parents and local schools, creating strong inclusion opportunities
  • Well-planned curriculum adapted creatively to meet all pupils' individual needs
  • Outstanding leadership and management with excellent track record of staff development
  • Very secure safeguarding arrangements and highly effective governing body

Areas for Improvement

  • Not enough teaching is outstanding - need to improve consistency across all lessons
  • Pupils spend too long in whole-class sessions waiting for responses instead of working in small groups
  • Activities are sometimes repeated unnecessarily rather than extended to challenge pupils further
  • Assessment data not presented clearly enough to demonstrate progress and achievement

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are very secure and effective, with a highly effective governing body maintaining very high expectations of pupils' safety and wellbeing.

Red Gates School is a good special school for primary-aged pupils with severe to profound learning difficulties. The school has relocated and expanded significantly, now serving 122 pupils, with strong leadership and exceptional pupil behaviour.

At a Glance

53.1%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

11 responses
Would recommend82%
Child is happy91%
Well taught82%
Good progress82%
Feels safe82%
Well behaved91%
Bullying dealt with0%
Kept informed91%
Handles concerns18%
Wider development82%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
ReadingMathsWriting

Reading has remained stable at around 0%. Maths has remained stable at around 0%. Writing has remained stable at around 0%.

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Tube / Metro / Tram

Gravel Hill Tram Stop
280m · 5 min walk
Addington Village Tram Stop
973m · 16 min walk

Bus Stops

Lomond Gardens (Stop Y)
244m · 4 min walk
Heathfield Vale / Farnborough Av (Stop Z)
253m · 4 min walk
Gravel Hill Tram Stop (Stop D)
296m · 5 min walk
Farnborough Crescent (Stop X)
333m · 5 min walk
John Ruskin College (Stop A)
342m · 6 min walk
Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

100%

Over capacity

160 pupils

160 capacity

0 places over capacity

Area Demand Pressure - South Croydon

Low pressure
New homes approved:1,247
Projected new pupils:224

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for South Croydon

Admissions Demand - Croydon

Low demand1.07x oversubscription

Places available

4,128

Applications

4,421

Got 1st preference

71.0%

Got preferred school

95.5%

Secondary admissions across Croydon (2025/26)

Inspection History(7)

24 September 2024
Quality of EducationOutstanding
Behaviour & AttitudesOutstanding
Personal DevelopmentOutstanding
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding
Early YearsOutstanding
28 February 2023
18 October 2017
Leadership & ManagementGood

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

Sign up free to see teacher and staff data

Pupil Absence
2024/25

9.23516%

Overall absence

28.26087%

Persistent absence

138

Enrolments

Authorised8.76431%
Unauthorised0.47085%
Persistent (10%+)28.26087%
Severe (50%+)2.17391%

Absence trend

10.08278%
18/19
8.56527%
20/21
11.7653%
21/22
11.11247%
22/23
10.06988%
23/24
9.23516%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Linked Schools

Schools linked by geographic proximity

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.