Mill Ford School is a council-run special school in Plymouth for children and young people aged 3 to 19. It supports severe learning.
- Ages 3–19
- 149 pupils
- Ofsted: Outstanding
School details
- Type
- Council special school
- Ages
- 3 to 19
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 149 (places for 108)
- Headteacher
- Mrs Claire Wills (Headteacher)
- Free school meals
- 54.8% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Plymouth
- School reference (URN)
- 113651
Needs it supports
1 need: severe learning
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Cognition and learning
- Severe learning difficulty Other schools for this in Plymouth (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 Plymouth 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
Rated Outstanding, June 2024; school remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next (May 2023)
Rated Outstanding at its last graded inspection, in June 2024.
- Quality of educationOutstanding
- Behaviour and attitudesOutstanding
- Personal developmentOutstanding
- Leadership and managementOutstanding
- Sixth formOutstanding
- SafeguardingEffective
Since then: School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next (ungraded inspection, May 2023).
Contact and getting there
Rochford Crescent, Ernesettle, Plymouth, PL5 2PY
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
- Brook Green Centre for Learning Special school · Ages 11–16 0.7 miles
- Mount Tamar School Special school · Ages 4–16 · Ofsted report card (2026) 0.8 miles
- Woodlands School Special school · Ages 2–19 · Ofsted: Good 1.3 miles
By need in Plymouth: Moderate learning (5) · Autism (4) · Speech and language (4) · Severe learning (4) · Hearing (4) · SEMH (3) · PMLD (3) · Vision (2) · Multi-sensory (2) · Physical (2)
Questions about Mill Ford School
How do I get a place at Mill Ford 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 Mill Ford School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does Mill Ford School support?
Severe learning difficulty. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Mill Ford School take?
Aged 3 to 19, boys and girls.
What is Mill Ford School’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in June 2024 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 Mill Ford School?
Rochford Crescent, Ernesettle, Plymouth, PL5 2PY, in Plymouth.
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.