St John's RC School (Essex) is a non-maintained special school, run by a charity in Woodford Bridge, Essex, for children and young people aged 5 to 19. It supports speech and language, moderate learning and severe learning.
- Ages 5–19
- 102 pupils
- Ofsted report card (2026)
School details
- Type
- Non-maintained special school
- Ages
- 5 to 19
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 102 (places for 100)
- Headteacher
- Mrs Wendy Killilea (Headteacher)
- Free school meals
- 35.7% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Essex
- School reference (URN)
- 115466
Needs it supports
3 needs: speech and language, moderate learning and 1 more
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Communication and interaction
- Speech, language and communication Other schools for this in Essex (8)
Cognition and learning
- Moderate learning difficulty Other schools for this in Essex (9)
- Severe learning difficulty Other schools for this in Essex (12)
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 Essex 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, April 2026: Expected standard in 5 of 7 areas
Inspected in April 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 teachingExpected standard
- AchievementExpected standard
- Attendance and behaviourStrong standard
- Personal development and wellbeingStrong standard
- Post-16Expected standard
- Leadership and governanceExpected standard
- SafeguardingMet
Since then: School remains Good (ungraded inspection, December 2021).
Contact and getting there
Turpins Lane, Woodford Bridge, IG8 8AX
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
- Roding Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 3–11 0.5 miles
- Luxborough Court School Independent · Ages 5–19 · Ofsted: Good 0.6 miles
- New Rush Hall School Special school · Ages 5–16 · Ofsted report card (2025) 1.0 mile
By need in Essex: Autism (18) · Severe learning (13) · Moderate learning (10) · Hearing (10) · Speech and language (9) · PMLD (8) · SEMH (7) · Dyslexia and SpLD (3) · Vision (3) · Multi-sensory (2)
Questions about St John's RC School (Essex)
How do I get a place at St John's RC School (Essex)?
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 St John's RC School (Essex). If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does St John's RC School (Essex) support?
Speech, language and communication, 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 St John's RC School (Essex) take?
Aged 5 to 19, boys and girls.
What is St John's RC School (Essex)’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Good by Ofsted in April 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 St John's RC School (Essex)?
Turpins Lane, Woodford Bridge, IG8 8AX, in Essex.
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.