West Heath School, Kent
West Heath School is a special school for pupils aged 9 to 20 in Kent. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2025. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
West Heath School in detail
West Heath School in its own words
In its own words: "‘Support and empower our community to discover their strengths by taking responsibility for their lives, through respect for themselves and others’. West Heath School is an Independent Special School that supports young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities from the age of 9 (year5) to 20 years old."
The school runs a breakfast club.
Coming up: an open day on Thursday 22 April 2027 and an open day on Saturday 24 April 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to West Heath School are White Rocks Farm College At Rooks Hill Farm (2.4 miles, Good); Hilden Park (3.2 miles, Outstanding); Valence School (4.2 miles, Good); and YMCA West Kent (5.1 miles).
White Rocks Farm College At Rooks Hill FarmHilden ParkValence SchoolYMCA West Kent
What parents say
29 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about West Heath School (as of September 2025): 69% would recommend the school, 72% say their child is happy there and 33% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school supports their child's wider development (83%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (33%).
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at West Heath School has an education, health and care plan (132 of 132 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Sevenoaks Rail Station, about 1.5 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ashgrove Road (opposite), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 6 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Kent (101).
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; 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
Sixth Form
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 September 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
West Heath School excels at supporting pupils with special educational needs through personalised learning tailored to individual requirements. The school provides excellent facilities and extensive grounds where pupils can develop confidence and resilience, with high staff ratios ensuring pupils feel safe and well-supported. Careers education is given particular prominence, with many bespoke opportunities including on and off-site work experience.
Key Strengths
- Strong safeguarding culture with vigilant staff who communicate openly and take pupil concerns seriously
- High-quality, personalised curriculum tailored to individual pupil needs, judged as good at the last inspection
- Excellent facilities including a 32-acre site with sports centre, swimming pool, science labs and therapeutic spaces
- Strong focus on pupil wellbeing, self-confidence and resilience with high staff-to-pupil ratios
- Comprehensive careers education including work experience opportunities
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective - the school has a strong culture to safeguard pupils with experienced staff, open communication, appropriate policies and robust supervision.
Extracurricular Activities
Cultural diversity club, trips to places of worship, forest school, swimming pool activities, work experience
West Heath School is a special school for pupils aged 9-20 with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The school is likely to meet independent school standards if its requested material changes are implemented.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
29 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with West Heath School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
2 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
73%
Available places
132 pupils
180 places
48 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Kent
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Kent
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(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
132
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
West Heath 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
132
Total Pupils
79
Boys
53
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about West Heath School
What are GCSE results like at West Heath School?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for West Heath School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is West Heath School's Ofsted rating?
West Heath School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2025, it was rated Good.
Does West Heath School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in April 2025, West Heath School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to West Heath School?
West Heath School has around 132 pupils on roll.
Does West Heath School have specialist SEN provision?
West Heath School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to West Heath School?
West Heath 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 West Heath School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 2 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 West Heath School?
West Heath School is at West Heath School, Ashgrove Road, Kent, TN13 1SR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)