Sir Harry Smith Community College is a mainstream secondary school in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, for children and young people aged 11 to 18. In January 2026, 173 of its 1,084 pupils (16%) were getting SEN support and 50 (4.6%) had an EHC plan.
- Ages 11–18
- 1,084 pupils
Special educational needs here
From the school census, January 2026. Compared with state secondary schools across England and in Cambridgeshire.
16% get SEN support
173 of 1,084 pupils. Help in school without an EHC plan.
About the same as the England average.
4.6% have an EHC plan
50 of 1,084 pupils. A legal plan from the council, for children who need more help.
Higher than the England average.
Most common needs
- Social, emotional and mental health55
- Specific learning difficulty, such as dyslexia38
- Speech, language and communication31
- Autism23
- Moderate learning difficulty20
Pupils by their main need, on SEN support or with an EHC plan. Needs with fewer than 5 pupils aren’t shown.
Figures show how many children the school supports, not how well. To see how it would support your child, talk to the SENCO and read its SEN information report on the school’s website.
School details
- Type
- Mainstream secondary school
- Run as
- Academy
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 1,084 (places for 1,210)
- Headteacher
- Mr Stephen Thornton (Principal)
- Part of
- Aspire Learning Trust (Whittlesey)
- Free school meals
- 27.6% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Cambridgeshire
- School reference (URN)
- 138053
How SEN support works
4 steps, from a first chat to an EHC plan
- Talk to the class teacher and the SENCO
If you’re worried about your child, ask for a meeting. Every school has a SENCO (special educational needs co-ordinator). Your child doesn’t need a diagnosis to get help.
- SEN support
The school should work out what your child needs, agree a plan with you, put it in place and review it together, usually each term. This is called SEN support.
- An EHC needs assessment
If your child needs more help than the school can usually give, you or the school can ask Cambridgeshire council for an EHC needs assessment. It can lead to an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, which the council must make sure is delivered.
- Free, independent advice
Your local SENDIASS can help at any stage, and can come to meetings with the school with you.
Questions to ask the SENCO
10 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them at the meeting.
Ofsted
Graded by area, September 2025; school remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next (February 2024)
Inspected in September 2025. Inspections from September 2024 to November 2025 graded each area but gave no overall grade.
- Quality of educationRequires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudesRequires improvement
- Personal developmentRequires improvement
- Leadership and managementRequires improvement
- Sixth formRequires improvement
- SafeguardingEffective
Since then: School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next (ungraded inspection, February 2024).
Contact and getting there
Eastrea Road, Whittlesey, Peterborough, PE7 1XB
Loading the map…
Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
Email me these details
The school’s details, its SEN figures and the questions to ask the SENCO, in your inbox.
Nearby
Specialist schools and SEN units
- Park House Independent · Ages 6–19 4.4 miles
- Southfields Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 4–11 4.4 miles
- Calman Colaiste (Kisimul Group) Independent · Ages 16–25 4.5 miles
- St John Fisher Catholic High School Mainstream + base · Ages 11–18 · Ofsted: Good 4.7 miles
Other mainstream schools
- Alderman Jacobs School Primary · Ages 3–11 · SEN support 19.1%, EHC plans 2.7% 0.2 miles
- New Road Primary & Nursery School Primary · Ages 2–11 · SEN support 22.6%, EHC plans 4.2% 0.6 miles
- Park Lane Primary & Nursery School Primary · Ages 3–11 · SEN support 12.2%, EHC plans 4.1% 0.7 miles
All mainstream schools in Cambridgeshire SEND schools in Cambridgeshire
Questions about Sir Harry Smith Community College
How many pupils at Sir Harry Smith Community College have special educational needs?
In the January 2026 school census, 173 of the 1,084 pupils (16%) were getting SEN support and 50 (4.6%) had an EHC plan. Across England’s state secondary schools it is 14.1% and 3.5%.
What are the most common needs at Sir Harry Smith Community College?
Counting pupils on SEN support and with an EHC plan, the most common main needs are social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs (55 pupils), dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties (38 pupils) and speech, language and communication needs (31 pupils).
Who do I talk to about my child’s needs at Sir Harry Smith Community College?
The SENCO (special educational needs co-ordinator). Every school has one, and every school must publish an SEN information report on its website explaining how it supports pupils with SEND.
How do I apply for a place at Sir Harry Smith Community College?
Through Cambridgeshire council’s school admissions, in the normal application round or during the year. If your child has an EHC plan, you don’t apply this way: you ask for the school to be named in the plan instead.
Can my child with an EHC plan go to Sir Harry Smith Community College?
You can ask for Sir Harry Smith Community College to be named in your child’s EHC plan. The council must consult the school and name it, unless it would be unsuitable for your child’s age, ability or needs, or would affect other children’s education or the efficient use of resources.
Does Sir Harry Smith Community College have an SEN unit or resourced provision?
Not according to the Department for Education’s register of schools. The nearest mainstream school with one is Southfields Primary School, about 4.4 miles away.
Where is Sir Harry Smith Community College?
Eastrea Road, Whittlesey, Peterborough, PE7 1XB, in Cambridgeshire.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, SEN figures from DfE Special educational needs in England (the January school census), 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.