Southbrook School is a foundation special school in Exeter, Devon, for children and young people aged 11 to 16. It supports moderate learning.
- Ages 11–16
- 140 pupils
School details
- Type
- Foundation special school
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 140 (places for 120)
- Headteacher
- Mr Simon Winward (Headteacher)
- Part of
- SENtient Trust
- Free school meals
- 49.3% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Devon
- School reference (URN)
- 113634
Needs it supports
1 need: moderate learning
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Cognition and learning
- Moderate learning difficulty Other schools for this in Devon (7)
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 Devon 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, November 2024; school remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next (June 2023)
Inspected in November 2024. Inspections from September 2024 to November 2025 graded each area but gave no overall grade.
- Quality of educationRequires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementGood
- SafeguardingEffective
Since then: School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next (ungraded inspection, June 2023).
Contact and getting there
Bishop Westall Road, Topsham Road, Exeter, EX2 6JB
Loading the map…
Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
Email me these details
The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- Infocus College Independent · Ages 16–25 0.3 miles
- Wynstream Primary School Academy Mainstream + base · Ages 3–11 · Ofsted report card (2026) 0.5 miles
- Countess Wear Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 2–11 · Ofsted: Requires improvement 0.7 miles
By need in Devon: Autism (14) · SEMH (9) · Moderate learning (8) · Speech and language (7) · Severe learning (7) · PMLD (5) · Hearing (5) · Vision (5) · Physical (5) · Dyslexia and SpLD (4) · Multi-sensory (4)
Questions about Southbrook School
How do I get a place at Southbrook 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 Southbrook School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does Southbrook School support?
Moderate learning difficulty. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Southbrook School take?
Aged 11 to 16, boys and girls.
What is Southbrook School’s Ofsted rating?
There’s no overall grade to show. Read the school’s latest inspection report on the Ofsted website.
Where is Southbrook School?
Bishop Westall Road, Topsham Road, Exeter, EX2 6JB, in Devon.
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.