SCHOOL PROFILE

Meadowfield School

Not applicable Foundation special school URN 134783
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 366 Published school capacity
Capacity used 108.2% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 4 – 19 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

24 June 2025
Latest published outcome Not judged
OEIF
Quality of education Requires improvement
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Requires improvement
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

17 April 2024
Ungraded inspection School remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next
Published 20 May 2024
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Foundation special school
Phase Not applicable
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Kent
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 396 396 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 128 32.3% of pupils
Male pupils 268 67.7% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

52.8%
28.0 pts above England
School 52.8%
Swale 29.5%
South East 19.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

4.8%
15.5 pts below England
School 4.8%
Swale 8.3%
South East 15.6%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.8%
0.2 pts below England
School 0.8%
Swale 1.8%
South East 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
83.1%
329
Any other White background
3.8%
15
African
3.3%
13
White and Black Caribbean
1.8%
7
Gypsy / Roma
1.0%
4
White and Asian
1.0%
4
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 100.0% 396 of 396 pupils
79.2 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 100.0%
Swale 24.2%
South East 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 0.0% 0 pupils
England 14.8% 14.8 pts below
EHC plans 100.0% 396 pupils
England 6.0% 94.0 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 243
Severe learning difficulty 97
Profound & multiple learning difficulty 36
Speech, language & communication 12
Physical disability 7
Vision impairment 1

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

0.0% 60.4 pts below England
School 0.0%
Swale 57.8%
South East 60.1%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

0.0%

73.8 pts below England

School 0.0%
Swale 70.9%
South East 74.0%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

0.0%

70.3 pts below England

School 0.0%
Swale 71.5%
South East 70.5%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

0.0%

72.0 pts below England

School 0.0%
Swale 66.4%
South East 70.9%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

13.48%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

7.26 pts higher than England
School 13.48%
Swale 7.16%
South East 6.30%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

42.22%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

26.40 pts higher than England
School 42.22%
Swale 19.36%
South East 15.75%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

5.69%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

3.88 pts higher than England
School 5.69%
Swale 2.33%
South East 1.93%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open not applicable schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

108.2% 28.4 pts above England
Meadowfield School
108.2%
Swale
73.7%
South East
79.9%
England
79.8%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information