Hatton Special School is a council-run special school in Woodford Green, Redbridge, for children and young people aged 3 to 11. It supports speech and language, autism and moderate learning.
- Ages 3–11
- 197 pupils
School details
- Type
- Council special school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 197 (places for 191)
- Headteacher
- Mr Chris Smaling (Headteacher)
- Free school meals
- 49.7% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Redbridge
- School reference (URN)
- 102881
Needs it supports
3 needs: speech and language, autism and 1 more
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Communication and interaction
- Autism Other schools for this in Redbridge (6)
- Speech, language and communication Other schools for this in Redbridge (3)
Cognition and learning
- Moderate learning difficulty Other schools for this in Redbridge (2)
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 Redbridge 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, July 2025; school remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next (March 2024)
Inspected in July 2025. Inspections from September 2024 to November 2025 graded each area but gave no overall grade.
- Quality of educationGood
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementGood
- Early yearsGood
- SafeguardingEffective
Since then: School remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next (ungraded inspection, March 2024).
Contact and getting there
Roding Lane South, Woodford Green, IG8 8EU
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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
- Beacon Business Innovation Hub Alternative provision · Ages 12–19 · Ofsted: Good 0.4 miles
- Beal High School Mainstream + base · Ages 11–18 · Ofsted report card (2026) 0.4 miles
- Stradbroke Independent · Ages 8–16 · Ofsted: Good 0.6 miles
By need in Redbridge: Autism (7) · Speech and language (4) · Hearing (4) · Moderate learning (3) · Vision (3) · Physical (3) · SEMH (2) · Severe learning (2) · PMLD (2)
Questions about Hatton Special School
How do I get a place at Hatton Special 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 Hatton Special School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does Hatton Special School support?
Speech, language and communication, autism and moderate learning difficulty. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Hatton Special School take?
Aged 3 to 11, boys and girls.
What is Hatton Special School’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in July 2025 at its last graded inspection. Newer inspections no longer give a single overall grade, so read the latest report for the full picture.
Where is Hatton Special School?
Roding Lane South, Woodford Green, IG8 8EU, in Redbridge.
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.