Abbey Gardens School, Bury St Edmunds: SEND school

Abbey Gardens School is an independent special school in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, for children and young people aged 11 to 16.

Ages 11–16

School details

Type: Independent special school
Ages: 11 to 16
Boys and girls: Boys and girls
Headteacher: Kay Park
Opened: 22 May 2026
Council: Suffolk
School reference (URN): 152428

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 Suffolk council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
An offer, and the council’s agreement
As an independent school not approved under Section 41, it doesn’t have to accept a place: the school has to offer one, and the council has to agree to name it in the plan.

Suffolk SENDIASS Suffolk Local Offer Letter: ask for a school to be named How EHC plans work

Questions to ask when you visit

8 questions to tick off as you go

How many children are in each class, and how many adults?
Which therapies happen in school (speech and language, occupational therapy, physiotherapy), and how often?
What training do staff have in my child’s needs?
How do you help children who are anxious, overwhelmed or in distress?
How will you keep in touch with me day to day?
How does home-to-school transport work?
What happens at the big changes: starting, moving up, and leaving at 16 or 19?
Can my child visit first, or have a settling-in period?

Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.

Ofsted

Read the latest inspection report

There’s no grade to show. Read this school’s latest inspection report on the Ofsted website.

Read the Ofsted report

Contact and getting there

The Albany, Beard Road, Bury St Edmunds, IP32 6SA

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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

All SEND schools in Suffolk

By need in Suffolk: Autism (19) · Moderate learning (19) · Speech and language (17) · Severe learning (13) · Hearing (8) · SEMH (6) · PMLD (6) · Dyslexia and SpLD (5) · Physical (5) · Vision (4) · Multi-sensory (3)

Questions about Abbey Gardens School

How do I get a place at Abbey Gardens 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 Abbey Gardens School. As an independent school not approved under Section 41, it has to offer a place and the council has to agree to name it.

What ages does Abbey Gardens School take?

Aged 11 to 16, boys and girls.

What is Abbey Gardens School’s Ofsted rating?

There’s no overall grade to show. Read the school’s latest inspection report on the Ofsted website.

Where is Abbey Gardens School?

The Albany, Beard Road, Bury St Edmunds, IP32 6SA, in Suffolk.

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.

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