Children's Support Service

Pupil referral unit · All-through, ages 5 to 16 · Mixed

Alderney Gardens, Wickford, SS11 7JZ

01268 552482 · School website · Map and directions

OfstedGoodInspected 23 November 2016; confirmed 2023
Pupils102Room for 198 Pupil numbers in January of each year: 98 in 2019, 81 in 2021, 70 in 2022, 58 in 2023, 92 in 2024, 91 in 2025, 102 in 2026. Across England, secondary state school pupil numbers were up 10% from 2019 to 2025.
Free school meals46%of pupils eligible now

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted rated this school Good at the inspection that started on 23 November 2016.

This inspection used Ofsted's older format with four grades: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. Newer inspections use report cards. What changed.

AreaGrade
Quality of educationGood
Outcomes for pupilsGood
Behaviour and attitudesOutstanding
Leadership and managementGood
SafeguardingEffective

Since then, a shorter ungraded inspection on 11 May 2023: Ofsted found the school was still Good.

Read the full Ofsted reports for this school

Source: Ofsted state-funded schools inspection data.

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Results

No test or exam results have been published for this school yet.

Admissions

Apply through the council where you live, even if the school is in a different council area. This school is in Essex. The national closing date for secondary applications is 31 October, and offers are sent on 1 March.

Admissions dates and schools in Essex

Pupils, staff and SEND

PupilsThis schoolEssexEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years 64.8% 22.6%* 28.9%
With an education, health and care plan 19.8% 2.7%* 3.1%
Receiving special educational needs support 78.0% 12.9%* 13.4%
English as an additional language 1.1% 9.5%* 19.2%
Pupils per teacher 3.2 17.2 16.7
Pupils per adult (teachers and support staff) 2.1 12.9 11.8
Teachers who left during the year 16.2% 13.3%* 14.2%*

Comparisons are with secondary schools. Scales run from lower (left) to higher (right) figures. For absence and suspensions lower is better, so their scales run green to red; blue scales describe the school's pupils and staff and aren't good or bad. * Calculated by SchoolScores from the council's or England's schools, weighted by pupils (or teachers, for turnover); other figures are published by DfE. Sources: DfE school census 2024/25; DfE school workforce census 2025/26; DfE teacher turnover 2024/25.

Nearby secondary schools

Straight-line distance. Distance isn't the same as a catchment area.

Questions parents ask

What is Children's Support Service's Ofsted rating?

Children's Support Service was rated Good by Ofsted at its inspection in 23 November 2016. At a shorter ungraded inspection in 11 May 2023, Ofsted found the school was still Good.

Sources

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Page updated 26 September 2026.