Ripplevale School Rochester, Rochester
Ripplevale School Rochester is a special school for pupils aged 6 to 25 in Rochester.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Ripplevale School Rochester in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Ripplevale School Rochester are Blue Skies School (0.8 miles, Good); FORWARD2 EMPLOYMENT LIMITED (1.2 miles, Good); Alchemy School (1.8 miles, Good); and Abbey Court Foundation Special School (1.9 miles, Outstanding).
Blue Skies SchoolFORWARD2 EMPLOYMENT LIMITEDAlchemy SchoolAbbey Court Foundation Special School
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Ripplevale School Rochester has an education, health and care plan (140 of 140 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Rochester Rail Station, about 740 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).
17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Jacksons Fields, 30 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 672 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Medway (250), as is usual near a town centre.
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 · 2 years agoOverall
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Pupils genuinely love coming to this school because they feel safe and supported. Staff work hard to meet each child's individual needs and have high expectations for what every pupil can achieve. The school provides excellent opportunities for learning life skills and preparing for the future, with sixth-form students gaining valuable work experience and developing independence.
Key Strengths
- Pupils feel happy, safe and well-supported with caring, well-trained staff who provide emotional support tailored to individual needs
- Strong focus on curriculum development with a broad, balanced curriculum that is tailored to each pupil's specific needs
- Excellent personal development including life skills, relationships education, careers guidance and community engagement
- Significant investment in staff development and subject knowledge to improve teaching quality
- Effective safeguarding arrangements with vigilant staff and comprehensive child protection procedures
Areas for Improvement
- Some inconsistency in how teachers check pupils have learned and remembered knowledge before moving forward
- Too many pupils with poor attendance who miss vital learning opportunities
- Safeguarding record-keeping needs to be more comprehensive and consistent with school policy
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective; the school protects pupils from harm both online and offline with vigilant staff, though some improvements to record-keeping consistency are needed.
Extracurricular Activities
Coffee shop and beauty therapy rooms, therapy dogs, road safety lessons, trips and visits, character and leadership skills development, work experience placements
Ripplevale School Rochester is an independent special school for pupils with autism spectrum disorder that has made significant improvements since its last inspection. The school provides a tailored, nurturing environment where pupils flourish academically and personally.
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 Ripplevale School Rochester
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 72
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 15
- Children hurt
- 9
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 72 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 15 serious and 57 slight.
9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
7 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 Medway is 25 (the median across 117 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
67%
Available places
140 pupils
210 places
70 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Rochester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Rochester
Across Medway council
Places available
3,844
Applications
3,586
Got 1st preference
80.4%
Got preferred school
96.8%
All secondary applications across Medway council (2026/27), not just this school.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
140
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Ripplevale School Rochester 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
140
Total Pupils
82
Boys
58
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Ripplevale School Rochester
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Ripplevale School Rochester
What are GCSE results like at Ripplevale School Rochester?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Ripplevale School Rochester can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
How many pupils go to Ripplevale School Rochester?
Ripplevale School Rochester has around 140 pupils on roll.
Does Ripplevale School Rochester have specialist SEN provision?
Ripplevale School Rochester is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Ripplevale School Rochester?
Ripplevale School Rochester 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 Ripplevale School Rochester?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 72 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 15 serious and 57 slight. 9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 7 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 Medway is 25 (the median across 117 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Ripplevale School Rochester?
Ripplevale School Rochester is at 9-13 New Road, Rochester, Rochester, Kent, ME1 1BG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)