Croft Community School is a council-run special school in Stanley, County Durham, for children and young people aged 4 to 16. It supports dyslexia and SpLD, speech and language, autism and 2 other needs.
- Ages 4–16
- 316 pupils
- Ofsted report card (2026)
School details
- Type
- Council special school
- Ages
- 4 to 16
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 316 (places for 281)
- Headteacher
- Mr Lee Davis (Headteacher)
- Free school meals
- 58.3% of pupils eligible
- Council
- County Durham
- School reference (URN)
- 114340
Needs it supports
5 needs: dyslexia and SpLD, speech and language and 3 more
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Communication and interaction
- Autism Other schools for this in County Durham (11)
- Speech, language and communication Other schools for this in County Durham (7)
Cognition and learning
- Specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia) Other schools for this in County Durham (5)
- Moderate learning difficulty Other schools for this in County Durham (7)
- Severe learning difficulty Other schools for this in County Durham (6)
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 County Durham 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
Report card, January 2026: Expected standard in 3 of 6 areas
Inspected in January 2026 under Ofsted’s new report cards, which grade each area separately, from Exceptional to Urgent improvement, instead of one overall grade.
- InclusionExpected standard
- Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
- AchievementNeeds attention
- Attendance and behaviourExpected standard
- Personal development and wellbeingExpected standard
- Leadership and governanceNeeds attention
- SafeguardingMet
Contact and getting there
Greencroft Road End, Annfield Plain, Stanley, DH9 8PR
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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
- Greenland Community Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 2–11 · Ofsted: Good 1.7 miles
- Leadgate Primary School - Split Site Mainstream + base · Ages 2–11 · Ofsted: Good 2.3 miles
- Villa Real School Special school · Ages 2–19 · Ofsted: Good 3.0 miles
All SEND schools in County Durham
By need in County Durham: Autism (12) · Speech and language (8) · Moderate learning (8) · Severe learning (7) · SEMH (6) · Dyslexia and SpLD (6) · PMLD (5) · Hearing (4) · Vision (3) · Physical (2)
Questions about Croft Community School
How do I get a place at Croft Community 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 Croft Community School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does Croft Community School support?
Specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia), speech, language and communication, autism, moderate learning difficulty and severe learning difficulty. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Croft Community School take?
Aged 4 to 16, boys and girls.
What is Croft Community School’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2026 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 Croft Community School?
Greencroft Road End, Annfield Plain, Stanley, DH9 8PR, in County Durham.
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.