Rutherford School, South Croydon
Rutherford School is a special school for pupils aged 3 to 25 in South Croydon. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Rutherford School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Rutherford School are Maypole School - Melville (0.2 miles); Oak Bridge School (0.5 miles); Aspire Learning (0.7 miles, Good); and Bright Minds Creative Academy (0.9 miles, Inadequate).
Maypole School - MelvilleOak Bridge SchoolAspire LearningBright Minds Creative Academy
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Rutherford School has an education, health and care plan (33 of 33 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Lloyd Park Tram Stop, about 480 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Melville Avenue (->w), 100 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Rutherford School 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 309 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, shoplifting and violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Croydon (488).
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
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
Rutherford School excels at providing specialist, person-centred education for learners with profound and multiple learning difficulties. The school's strength lies in its highly trained team of therapists and specialists who work together to support not just learning, but also health, confidence and well-being. Staff demonstrate remarkable skill in understanding each learner's needs and preparing them for life beyond school through meaningful work experience and community involvement.
Key Strengths
- Skilled specialists and therapists (including physiotherapy, music therapy, and medical care) work together to support learners' health, well-being and confidence
- Staff know learners extremely well and use individual risk assessments to keep them safe, using subtle communication cues to redirect learning
- Meaningful work experience opportunities tailored to learners' abilities help prepare them for adulthood and make positive community contributions
- Curriculum is purposefully designed with long and short-term targets aligned to each learner's individual education, health and care plan
- Positive relationships and respectful environment enable learners to maintain good behaviour and engage well with staff
Areas for Improvement
- Some checks on how well the curriculum is being implemented are not fully embedded, preventing learners from learning all they could
- Inconsistency in delivery of some curriculum approaches needs addressing to maximise learning depth across all learners
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff using individual risk assessments to accurately identify and address risks to learners.
Extracurricular Activities
Football, basketball
Rutherford School is an independent special school for learners aged 3 to 25 with profound and multiple learning difficulties. The school creates a supportive environment where learners are encouraged to thrive with high-quality specialist support and therapeutic services.
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 Rutherford School
Getting There
Train Stations
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 14
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 13 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
4 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 Croydon is 54.5 (the median across 156 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
97%
Near capacity
33 pupils
34 places
1 spare place
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - South Croydon
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for South Croydon
Across Croydon council
Places available
4,025
Applications
4,184
Got 1st preference
71.2%
Got preferred school
95.3%
All secondary applications across Croydon council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
33
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Rutherford School 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
33
Total Pupils
17
Boys
16
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Rutherford School
Showing 10 of 13 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Rutherford School
What is Rutherford School's Ofsted rating?
Rutherford School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2025.
Does Rutherford School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in September 2025, Rutherford School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Rutherford School?
Rutherford School has around 33 pupils on roll.
Does Rutherford School have specialist SEN provision?
Rutherford School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Rutherford School?
Rutherford School 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 Rutherford School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 13 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 4 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 Croydon is 54.5 (the median across 156 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Rutherford School?
Rutherford School is at 1a Melville Avenue, South Croydon, Surrey, CR2 7HZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)