The Link School, Croydon
The Link School is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 19 in Croydon, part of Orchard Hill College Academy Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Link School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to The Link School are Carew Academy (0.3 miles); Sherwood Foundation School (0.4 miles, Good); The Write Time (0.8 miles, Good); and Serenity School, Old Palace Croydon (1.1 miles).
Carew AcademySherwood Foundation SchoolThe Write TimeSerenity School, Old Palace Croydon
The trust
The Link School is one of 13 schools run by Orchard Hill College Academy Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
41 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Link School (as of September 2025): 88% would recommend the school, 88% say their child is happy there and 75% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that pupils behave well (90%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (75%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 13 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 100% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 85% to a further education college.
Who goes there
44.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 13.8% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
Almost every pupil at The Link School has an education, health and care plan (167 of 167 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
The Link School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 150 places, 147 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Waddon, about 800 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Croydon Road / Plough Lane, 180 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Link School issued 4 suspensions, 2.5 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from June 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The Link School excels at helping pupils who have struggled in education before. Staff build strong relationships with each pupil, understand their individual needs, and use this knowledge to create personalised learning programs that boost confidence and independence. The school's outstanding behaviour support and personal development opportunities mean pupils develop resilience, self-esteem and important life skills.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding behaviour and attitudes - pupils feel safe and incidents reduce significantly over time
- Outstanding personal development through clubs, competitions, and leadership roles including school council and safeguarding champions
- Excellent support for re-engagement with education - staff work with families to help pupils who have had negative prior experiences settle into school life
- Strong focus on reading and phonics with regular checks to identify and support pupils falling behind
- Well-designed ambitious curriculum in both main school and sixth form that personalises learning to individual pupil needs
Areas for Improvement
- Limited accreditation pathways for older pupils and sixth form students, which reduces the gains some of the oldest pupils make
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created an open, positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Choir, sports, yoga, theatrical performances, sporting competitions, Dungeons and Dragons club, museum and gallery visits, community shop visits, places of worship visits, animal centre visits, overnight stays at activity centres, car washing enterprise, meal preparation enterprise, school council, eco reps, safeguarding champions
The Link School is a special school for pupils aged 4-19 with a range of educational needs. The school prioritises pupils' well-being and has created a supportive environment where many pupils' resilience and engagement with education improves over time.
At a Glance
44.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Speech and language, Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
41 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with The Link School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Link School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Link School is in Sutton; for families living there:
Apply to Sutton for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 38
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 38 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 36 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
6 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 Sutton is 39 (the median across 74 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
113%
Over capacity
167 pupils
148 places
19 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Croydon
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Croydon
Across Sutton council
Places available
3,505
Applications
2,870
Got 1st preference
69.5%
Got preferred school
95.7%
All secondary applications across Sutton council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
167
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
The Link School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 150 places, 147 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
167
Total Pupils
114
Boys
53
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
32
Teachers
5.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,564
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
13.8%
Overall absence
34.7%
Persistent absence
144
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
The Link School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about The Link School
What are GCSE results like at The Link School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at The Link School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 1. 0% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is The Link School's Ofsted rating?
The Link School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for The Link School?
No fixed boundary. When The Link School is oversubscribed, Sutton allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to The Link School?
The Link School has around 167 pupils on roll. 44% are eligible for free school meals.
Does The Link School have specialist SEN provision?
The Link School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 150 places, 147 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at The Link School?
13.8% of sessions were missed at The Link School in 2024/25. 34.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Link School?
Apply through Sutton's coordinated admissions process, naming The Link 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 The Link School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 38 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 36 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 6 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 Sutton is 39 (the median across 74 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Link School?
The Link School is at 138 Croydon Road, Beddington, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 4PG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)