Wells Park School, Chigwell

Special
Academy special converter
Mixed
Ages 411
Boarding school

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Matthew Surman
Pupils:61 / 70 capacity
LA:Essex
Phone:02085026442
Address:School Lane, Lambourne Road, Chigwell, IG7 6NN
Trust:THE BECKMEAD TRUST
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 June 2022

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Inspected 7 May 2025View full report
URN:148708
UKPRN:10088880
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Epping Forest
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Wells Park School excels at creating a nurturing environment where every pupil is believed in and has high expectations placed on them. Teachers use effective strategies to check understanding and adapt learning, ensuring all pupils achieve well from their starting points. The school offers a well-designed enrichment programme including hands-on experiences like caring for school farm animals, helping pupils develop important life skills alongside their academic learning.

Key Strengths

  • Well-planned, ambitious curriculum adapted to meet individual pupil needs at different stages of development
  • Strong focus on early reading with high-quality phonics teaching and rapid support for pupils who fall behind
  • Exemplary behaviour fostered through clear routines, consistent expectations and warm staff relationships
  • Meaningful enrichment programme including school farm activities that develops responsibility and connects to curriculum learning
  • Positive attendance with staff working actively with families to remove barriers

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff being vigilant, approachable and well trained.

Extracurricular Activities

School farm activities, assemblies, clubs, classroom discussions

Wells Park School is a vibrant, aspirational special school where pupils flourish in a nurturing and supportive environment. The school has maintained the outstanding standards identified at its previous inspection.

At a Glance

60.7%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

11 responses
Would recommend100%
Child is happy100%
Well taught100%
Good progress100%
Feels safe100%
Well behaved100%
Bullying dealt with18%
Kept informed91%
Handles concerns64%
Wider development100%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-1ppMaths-7ppWriting-8pp

Reading has remained stable at around 24%. Maths has declined from 17% to 10%. Writing has declined from 8% to 0%.

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Tube / Metro / Tram

Grange Hill Underground Station
678m · 11 min walk

Bus Stops

High View School Lane (adj)
234m · 4 min walk
Holt Way (Stop AP)
280m · 5 min walk
Brocket Way / The Lowe (Stop AR)
428m · 7 min walk
Manford Way (Stop AM)
451m · 7 min walk
Crossbow Road (Stop AK)
491m · 8 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

87%

Available places

61 pupils

70 capacity

9 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Chigwell

High pressure
New homes approved:219
Projected new pupils:39

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Chigwell

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

7 May 2025

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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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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

11.53637%

Overall absence

38.09524%

Persistent absence

21

Enrolments

Authorised5.80223%
Unauthorised5.73413%
Persistent (10%+)38.09524%
Severe (50%+)4.7619%

Absence trend

6.2591%
22/23
9.549%
23/24
11.53637%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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