Villa Real School is a council-run special school in Consett, County Durham, for children and young people aged 2 to 19. It supports autism, severe learning and PMLD.
- Ages 2–19
- 125 pupils
- Ofsted: Good
School details
- Type
- Council special school
- Ages
- 2 to 19
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 125
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jill Bowe (Headteacher)
- Free school meals
- 62.6% of pupils eligible
- Council
- County Durham
- School reference (URN)
- 114345
Needs it supports
3 needs: autism, severe learning and 1 more
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 County Durham (6)
- Profound and multiple learning difficulties Other schools for this in County Durham (4)
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
Rated Good, January 2020; improved significantly (May 2025)
Rated Good at its last graded inspection, in January 2020.
- Quality of educationGood
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementGood
- Early yearsGood
- Sixth formGood
- SafeguardingEffective
Since then: Improved significantly (ungraded inspection, May 2025).
Contact and getting there
Villa Real Road, Consett, DH8 6BH
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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
- Learning for Life Independent · Ages 16–25 0.4 miles
- Leadgate Primary School - Split Site Mainstream + base · Ages 2–11 · Ofsted: Good 0.7 miles
- Croft Community School Special school · Ages 4–16 · Ofsted report card (2026) 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 Villa Real School
How do I get a place at Villa Real 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 Villa Real School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does Villa Real School support?
Autism, severe learning difficulty and profound and multiple learning difficulties. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Villa Real School take?
Aged 2 to 19, boys and girls.
What is Villa Real School’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Good by Ofsted in May 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 Villa Real School?
Villa Real Road, Consett, DH8 6BH, 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.