The Elmley Dray School, Sheerness
The Elmley Dray School is a special school for pupils aged 9 to 18 in Sheerness. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
The Elmley Dray School in detail
The Elmley Dray School in its own words
In its own words: "Welcome to Elmley Dray School. We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved in creating a nurturing and supportive environment for the children and young people we serve. Elmley Dray School specialises in supporting learners aged 9 to 19 who have a diagnosis of autism or present with autistic traits, alongside challenges with mental health regulation, particularly anxiety."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to The Elmley Dray School are Nore Academy (0.8 miles); Curly's Farm and School (4.8 miles); and Craftworks (5.2 miles, Good).
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at The Elmley Dray School has an education, health and care plan (26 of 26 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Sheerness-on-Sea Rail Station, about 2 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Breakneck Hill (n-bound), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Elmley Dray School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
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 June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This is a welcoming school where pupils with complex needs thrive and develop confidence as learners. Staff provide excellent emotional support in a nurturing environment where behaviour is exceptional. The school excels at helping pupils who have had disrupted education to catch up, whilst preparing them well for life after school through strong focus on life skills and employability.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional behaviour and positive attitudes to learning, with pupils feeling safe and valued in a nurturing environment
- Strong focus on reading and supporting pupils to become confident learners despite prior educational disruption
- Well-developed personal development programme covering online safety, equality, diversity and preparation for life after school
- Small class sizes allowing staff to quickly identify and address individual pupil needs
- Excellent staff wellbeing and well-resourced facilities including a sensory garden and teaching kitchen
Areas for Improvement
- Some subjects lack clearly defined knowledge and skills pupils will learn, making it harder for teachers to ensure pupils consolidate learning effectively
- Inconsistency in how teachers design learning activities to meet individual pupil needs - some lessons do not engage all pupils as well as they could
- Need for more clearly sequenced curriculum pathways with defined end points across all subjects
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with strong focus on pupil safety and a culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Sensory garden, teaching kitchen, community outreach activities
The Elmley Dray School is a happy and friendly special school for pupils with autism spectrum conditions and associated needs. It has been judged as Good overall, with Outstanding behaviour and attitudes.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 4 nearby schools
Keep up with The Elmley Dray School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 13
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 9 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
3 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 Kent is 11 (the median across 711 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
65%
Available places
26 pupils
40 places
14 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Sheerness
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Sheerness
Across Kent council
Places available
19,539
Applications
18,644
Got 1st preference
78.9%
Got preferred school
96.2%
All secondary applications across Kent council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
26
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
The Elmley Dray 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
26
Total Pupils
16
Boys
10
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about The Elmley Dray School
What is The Elmley Dray School's Ofsted rating?
The Elmley Dray School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2025.
Does The Elmley Dray School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in June 2025, The Elmley Dray School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to The Elmley Dray School?
The Elmley Dray School has around 26 pupils on roll.
Does The Elmley Dray School have specialist SEN provision?
The Elmley Dray School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to The Elmley Dray School?
The Elmley Dray 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 The Elmley Dray School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 9 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 3 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 Kent is 11 (the median across 711 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Elmley Dray School?
The Elmley Dray School is at 18-20 Marina Drive, Minster-on-Sea, Sheerness, Kent, ME12 2DP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)