Lexden Springs School is a special academy in Colchester, Essex, for children and young people aged 3 to 19. It supports severe learning and PMLD.
- Ages 3–19
- 301 pupils
- Ofsted: Inadequate
School details
- Type
- Special academy
- Ages
- 3 to 19
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 301 (places for 290)
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jennifer Grotier
- Part of
- Hope Learning Community
- Boarding
- Boarding school
- Opened
- 1 January 2025
- Free school meals
- 63% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Essex
- School reference (URN)
- 151484
Needs it supports
2 needs: severe learning, PMLD
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 Essex (12)
- Profound and multiple learning difficulties Other schools for this in Essex (7)
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
Serious weaknesses. Rated Inadequate, January 2024
Ofsted has placed this school in serious weaknesses.
Rated Inadequate at its last graded inspection, in January 2024.
- Quality of educationRequires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementInadequate
- Early yearsRequires improvement
- Sixth formRequires improvement
- SafeguardingNot effective
Contact and getting there
Winstree Road, Colchester, CO3 0PZ
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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
- Lexden Primary School with Unit for Hearing Impaired Pupils Mainstream + base · Ages 3–11 · Ofsted: Good 0.5 miles
- The Willows Independent · Ages 11–17 0.5 miles
- Doucecroft School Independent · Ages 3–19 · Ofsted: Requires improvement 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 Lexden Springs School
How do I get a place at Lexden Springs 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 Lexden Springs School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does Lexden Springs School support?
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 Lexden Springs School take?
Aged 3 to 19, boys and girls.
What is Lexden Springs School’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Inadequate by Ofsted in January 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 Lexden Springs School?
Winstree Road, Colchester, CO3 0PZ, 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.