Red Gates School is a council-run special school in South Croydon, Croydon, for children and young people aged 4 to 11. It supports autism and severe learning.
- Ages 4–11
- 160 pupils
School details
- Type
- Council special school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 160 (places for 160)
- Headteacher
- Mrs Melissa Hendry (Interim Headteacher)
- Opened
- 1 January 1900
- Free school meals
- 53.1% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Croydon
- School reference (URN)
- 101855
Needs it supports
2 needs: autism, severe learning
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Communication and interaction
Cognition and learning
- Severe learning difficulty Other schools for this in Croydon (3)
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places at schools like this usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask questions
See whether the school feels right and whether it can meet your child’s needs. Our list of questions below can help.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Croydon council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- Named in the plan
If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Free home-to-school transport is often part of the arrangement.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Graded by area, September 2024; school remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next (March 2023)
Inspected in September 2024. Inspections from September 2024 to November 2025 graded each area but gave no overall grade.
- Quality of educationOutstanding
- Behaviour and attitudesOutstanding
- Personal developmentOutstanding
- Leadership and managementOutstanding
- Early yearsOutstanding
- SafeguardingEffective
Since then: School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next (ungraded inspection, March 2023).
Contact and getting there
Farnborough Avenue, South Croydon, CR2 8HD
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- Quest Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 3–11 · Ofsted: Good 0.0 miles
- Courtwood Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 4–11 · Ofsted: Good 0.6 miles
- Applegarth Academy Mainstream + base · Ages 3–11 · Ofsted: Good 0.9 miles
By need in Croydon: Autism (17) · Moderate learning (11) · Speech and language (6) · Severe learning (4) · Hearing (3) · Physical (3) · PMLD (2) · Dyslexia and SpLD (2)
Questions about Red Gates School
How do I get a place at Red Gates School?
There’s no catchment area or application round. Places usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult Red Gates School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does Red Gates School support?
Autism and severe learning difficulty. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Red Gates School take?
Aged 4 to 11, boys and girls.
What is Red Gates School’s Ofsted rating?
There’s no overall grade to show. Read the school’s latest inspection report on the Ofsted website.
Where is Red Gates School?
Farnborough Avenue, South Croydon, CR2 8HD, in Croydon.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.