St Dominic's School, Godalming
St Dominic's School is a special school for pupils aged 7 to 19 in Godalming, part of Orchard Hill College Academy Trust. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2026, ended in a report card: 7 strong standard. Before that it was rated Good at its last graded inspection, in May 2022.
- Ofsted report card
- 7 of 7 areas strong or better
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Dominic's School in detail
What Ofsted's report card says
Ofsted's report card from its 21 April 2026 inspection grades St Dominic's School on 7 areas: 7 strong standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.
Achievement - Strong standard. "Pupils progress very well through the school's curriculum from their varied starting points."
Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Pupils want to attend school because staff make them feel like they belong here."
Curriculum and teaching - Strong standard. "Leaders have created a broad and aspirational curriculum for all pupils."
Inclusion - Strong standard. "Leaders have created a highly inclusive culture in the school."
Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leadership across all areas of the school's work is deliberate, strategic and highly responsive to the needs of pupils."
Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Leaders provide a highly effective and comprehensive programme to support pupils' wider development."
Post 16 provision - Strong standard. "Students in the post-16 provision receive a curriculum that is ambitious, personalised and closely matched to their aspirations."
Safeguarding standards were met.
Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should continue to refine and embed their identified priorities for improvement, overcoming barriers and challenges, in order to drive a transformational impact for all pupils".
Read the full report card on Ofsted's site (school website)
Source: Ofsted report card (Open Government Licence), quoted
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to St Dominic's School are Unsted Park School (4 miles, Good); Bramley Grange Academy (4.4 miles); Jigsaw CABAS School (4.4 miles, Outstanding); and Undershaw Education Trust (4.9 miles, Outstanding).
Unsted Park SchoolBramley Grange AcademyJigsaw CABAS SchoolUndershaw Education Trust
The trust
St Dominic's School is one of 13 schools run by Orchard Hill College Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 27 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 96% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 22% to a further education college.
Who goes there
35.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 3.3% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (80%) and Mixed (9%).
Almost every pupil at St Dominic's School has an education, health and care plan (183 of 183 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
St Dominic's School provides for pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs and autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Witley Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Malthouse Lane (ne-bound), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 7 crimes within a mile of the school, most often criminal damage and arson, violence and sexual offences and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Surrey (76).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Dominic's School issued 11 suspensions, 6.8 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: 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 · 6 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since November 2025)
Safeguarding standards met
- AchievementStrong standard
- Attendance and behaviourStrong standard
- Curriculum and teachingStrong standard
- InclusionStrong standard
- Leadership and governanceStrong standard
- Personal development and wellbeingStrong standard
- Post 16 provisionStrong standard
Safeguarding standards: met
Ofsted's report card, in its own words
What it's like to be a pupil at St Dominic's School
Pupils thrive and are valued as individuals at this school. Leaders and staff take great care to understand individual pupils' interests and aspirations. Pupils are safe and know adults will listen to them. Relationships between pupils and staff are warm, respectful and trusting. Leaders develop positive relationships with parents and carers. These relationships underpin the work of the school. Pupils follow a curriculum that is both broad and allows them to study specific areas that match their interests in depth. Across the curriculum, pupils recall prior learning well and build on it successfully. Pupils are well supported in their learning, and staff successfully reduce any barriers to their learning. This support includes skilled work by additional staff who work alongside teachers. Pupils across the school achieve high outcomes from their starting points over time. Careers education supports pupils well to make ambitious and well-judged choices about their next steps. Pupils are provided with the support that they need to be well prepared for their next steps and adulthood. Pupils behave courteously and meet the school's high expectations of their conduct. They attend school regularly. Bullying is rare and dealt with well when it does occur. Learning proceeds uninterrupted across the school. Pupils move around the school site in a calm and orderly manner. This makes for a friendly and relaxed environment, where pupils feel safe and typically at ease. Older pupils, including those in the sixth form, act as excellent role models for younger pupils. Pastoral support is highly responsive to pupils' circumstances. This helps to foster an environment where pupils feel a sense of success and belonging. The school is successful in its mission to give 'everyone a pathway to achieve ambitious goals and live life to the full'.
What Ofsted says the school should do next
- Leaders should continue to refine and embed their identified priorities for improvement, overcoming barriers and challenges, in order to drive a transformational impact for all pupils.
From Ofsted's report card (inspection 21 April 2026). Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Dominic's excels at making every child feel they belong, with staff building trusting relationships and removing barriers to learning through personalised support. The school offers a broad curriculum that balances core skills like reading and maths with flexible pathways that match individual interests and goals. Pupils leave well-prepared for their next steps, with most accessing mainstream provision successfully.
Key Strengths
- Pupils make excellent progress from varied starting points and achieve well in national tests and examinations
- Staff create warm, supportive relationships where pupils feel they belong and behaviour is consistently positive
- The school removes barriers to learning through precise identification of needs, individualised interventions, and highly effective therapeutic support
- Reading is prioritised with skilled phonics teaching and consistent progress monitoring
- Leaders make strategic use of additional funding to provide enrichment opportunities for disadvantaged pupils
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - the school has created an open and positive culture of safeguarding where all legal requirements are fulfilled, pupils are made safer and feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Local and international trips, residential experiences, school council elections, pupil-led events (Great British experiences), culture days, arts, music, sport, vocational learning opportunities
St Dominic's School is a highly inclusive special school where pupils thrive and progress very well through a broad, ambitious curriculum tailored to their individual needs. The school has created a calm, welcoming culture where safeguarding is strong and pupils feel valued and safe.
About
St. Dominic's School in Hambledon, Surrey, England is a co-educational day school, one of the oldest special schools in the United Kingdom.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
35.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
SpLD, Speech and language, Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 13% to 17% (2024 to 2025), while maths has declined from 13% to 0% (2024 to 2025).
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with St Dominic's School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Dominic's School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Dominic's School is in Surrey; for families living there:
- Surrey's school travel policy: Travel Assistance Policy for under 16s
- How to apply: Apply online for under 16 travel help
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
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
122%
Over capacity
183 pupils
150 places
33 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Godalming
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Godalming
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(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
183
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
St Dominic's School provides for pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs and autism.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
183
Total Pupils
156
Boys
27
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
36
Teachers
5.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,603
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
10.9%
Overall absence
28.4%
Persistent absence
148
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
Questions parents ask about St Dominic's School
What are GCSE results like at St Dominic's School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at St Dominic's School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 23.2. 18% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is St Dominic's School's Ofsted rating?
St Dominic's School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2026, produced a report card, which grades each area but gives no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2022, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Dominic's School?
No fixed boundary. When St Dominic's School is oversubscribed, Surrey allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to St Dominic's School?
St Dominic's School has around 183 pupils on roll. 36% are eligible for free school meals.
Does St Dominic's School have specialist SEN provision?
St Dominic's School provides for pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs and autism.
What is attendance like at St Dominic's School?
10.9% of sessions were missed at St Dominic's School in 2024/25. 28.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Dominic's School?
Apply through Surrey's coordinated admissions process, naming St Dominic's School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near St Dominic's School?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in Surrey is 13 (the median across 521 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Dominic's School?
St Dominic's School is at Malthouse Lane, Hambledon, Godalming, Surrey, GU8 4DX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)