The Yellow House School, Halstead

Special
Other independent special school
Mixed
Ages 1317

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Chloe Smith
Pupils:14 / 20 capacity
LA:Essex
Phone:01787462504
Address:1 Alderford Street, Sible Hedingham, Halstead, CO9 3HX
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:20 August 2003

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 3 months ago

Report card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)

Achievement
Expected Standard
Behaviour
Strong Standard
Personal Development
Expected Standard
Leadership
Expected Standard
Inspected 2 June 2026View full report
URN:134398
UKPRN:10016017
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Braintree
Urban/Rural:Larger rural: Further from a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

The Yellow House School excels at welcoming pupils who have had negative experiences of education and helping them rebuild trust in learning. Through dedicated key workers, consistent routines and personalised support, pupils develop confidence and engagement. The school creates a warm, inclusive environment where pupils' individual needs are at the centre of everything the school does, helping them succeed academically and prepare well for their next steps.

Key Strengths

  • Exceptional approach to attendance - leaders use home visits and key worker support to remove barriers, resulting in dramatic improvements for pupils with histories of long-term absence
  • Excellent pupil behaviour and attitudes to learning - classrooms are calm and purposeful with rare incidents of bullying or suspensions
  • Highly effective pastoral support system with personalised key worker approach that builds pupil confidence, resilience and emotional management
  • Strong inclusion practices - staff are well-trained in identifying and addressing pupils' diverse needs rapidly and effectively
  • Positive school culture where staff feel valued and supported with good professional development opportunities

Areas for Improvement

  • Refine assessment systems to identify and address gaps in pupils' foundational writing skills with greater precision and consistency
  • Strengthen staff's pedagogical knowledge further to ensure high quality teaching is consistently embedded across the school

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and all legal requirements are fulfilled, resulting in pupils feeling safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Local community visits and trips, work-based experiences

The Yellow House School is an inclusive specialist school that supports pupils who have experienced significant disruption to their education. The school has established highly effective systems for improving attendance, behaviour and engagement, with pupils making positive progress from their individual starting points.

At a Glance

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

Yes

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

The Swan (opp)
44m · 1 min walk
Post Office (opp)
341m · 6 min walk
Lamb Lane (adj)
417m · 7 min walk
Rectory Rd (opp)
747m · 12 min walk
Wash Farm (o/s)
867m · 14 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

70%

Available places

14 pupils

20 capacity

6 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Halstead

High pressure
New homes approved:824
Projected new pupils:148

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Halstead

Admissions Demand - Essex

Low demand0.96x oversubscription

Places available

17,576

Applications

16,788

Got 1st preference

83.8%

Got preferred school

97.1%

Secondary admissions across Essex (2025/26)

Inspection History(9)

2 June 2026Report card
Achievement
Behaviour
Personal Development
Leadership
22 January 2025
4 July 2023

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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