St Dominic's School

Special academy · All-through, ages 7 to 19 · Mixed · Sixth form

Part of ORCHARD HILL COLLEGE ACADEMY TRUST

Malthouse Lane, Hambledon, Godalming, GU8 4DX

01428 684693 · School website · Map and directions

Ofsted report card7 strongSafeguarding met · 21 April 2026
Grade 5 or above in English and maths10%England 45% · 2024/25
Pupils183Room for 150 Pupil numbers in January of each year: 105 in 2019, 138 in 2021, 146 in 2022, 153 in 2023, 157 in 2024, 162 in 2025, 183 in 2026. Across England, special state school pupil numbers were up 39% from 2019 to 2025.
Free school meals34%of pupils eligible now

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted report card from the inspection that started on 21 April 2026 , published 8 June 2026.

In short: 7 strong, and safeguarding met.

Since November 2025 Ofsted grades each area on a five-point scale instead of giving one overall grade. How report cards work.

AreaGrade
SafeguardingWhether pupils are kept safe. Met or not met. Met
InclusionHow well the school supports disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs. Strong standard Second of five grades. Better than the standard Ofsted expects.
Curriculum and teachingWhat pupils are taught and how well they are taught it. Strong standard Second of five grades. Better than the standard Ofsted expects.
AchievementHow well pupils learn and the results they get. Strong standard Second of five grades. Better than the standard Ofsted expects.
Attendance and behaviourWhether pupils come to school and how they behave. Strong standard Second of five grades. Better than the standard Ofsted expects.
Personal development and wellbeingPupils' wider development, character and wellbeing. Strong standard Second of five grades. Better than the standard Ofsted expects.
Post-16 provisionSixth form or other study after 16. Strong standard Second of five grades. Better than the standard Ofsted expects.
Leadership and governanceHow well leaders and governors run the school. Strong standard Second of five grades. Better than the standard Ofsted expects.

Read the full Ofsted reports for this school

Source: Ofsted state-funded schools inspection data.

What parents say

10 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey between 1 January 2024 and 6 January 2025.

StatementThis schoolEngland
My child is happy at this school 100% 88%
My child feels safe at this school 90% 90%
The school makes sure pupils are well behaved 90% 84%
Concerns were dealt with properlyOf 10 parents who had raised a concern 90% 76%
I would recommend this school to another parent 90%said yes 84%

Parents choose whether to take part, so these answers may not represent all families. Figures are the share who agree or strongly agree. England figures are all parents answering the same questions over the same period, for state-funded schools. The scales run from lower (left) to higher (right) agreement, and the dot marks this school among state schools of the same phase that used the same survey questions. The third it falls in is coloured: green for the top third, amber the middle, red the bottom. This survey used Ofsted's previous Parent View questions, which changed in November 2025. Source: Ofsted Parent View management information.

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Results

Key stage 2 (SATs, age 11), 2024/25

6 pupils in this year group.

Only 6 pupils took these tests, so results can change a lot from year to year. Compare with care.

0% — 66 points below the Surrey average, and 62 points below the England average.

MeasureThis schoolSurreyEngland
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths 0% 66% 62%
Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths 0% 11% 8%
Met the expected standard in reading 17% 80% 75%
Met the expected standard in writing 0% 75% 72%
Met the expected standard in maths 0% 78% 74%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 is the expected standard. 92 107 106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 is the expected standard. 88 106 105
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, over time
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% England 2022/23: 60%England 2023/24: 61%England 2024/25: 62% This school 2022/23: 0%This school 2023/24: 0%This school 2024/25: 0% This school England 62% 2022/23 0% 2023/24 0% 2024/25 0%

Source: DfE key stage 2 performance tables, 2024/25. England figures are for state-funded schools.

GCSEs (key stage 4, age 16), 2024/25

20 pupils in this year group.

10% — 45 points below the Surrey average, and 35 points below the England average.

MeasureThis schoolSurreyEngland
Grade 5 or above in English and maths 10% 55% 45%
Attainment 8 scoreAverage of each pupil's grades across 8 GCSE-level subjects, with English and maths counted twice. Around 50 means grade 5s on average. 20.6 50.8 46.1
EBacc average point scoreAverage points across the English Baccalaureate subjects: English, maths, sciences, a language and history or geography. 1.4 4.5 4.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths, over time
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% England 2022/23: 45%England 2023/24: 46%England 2024/25: 45% This school 2022/23: 17%This school 2023/24: 19%This school 2024/25: 10% This school England 45% 2022/23 17% 2023/24 19% 2024/25 10%

Progress 8 isn't shown. DfE didn't publish it for 2024/25 because this year group's key stage 2 tests in 2020 were cancelled, and older progress scores aren't comparable.

Source: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25. England figures are for state-funded schools.

After Year 11

Where pupils went next. DfE measures this for pupils who finished in an earlier year, so these figures describe a previous year group.

18 pupils in this year group.

94% — about the same as the Surrey average, and 2 points above the England average.

MeasureThis schoolSurreyEngland
Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or workPupils recorded in sustained education, apprenticeship or employment in the year after finishing Year 11. 94% 94% 92%
School sixth form 0% 29% 34%
Sixth form college 11% 32% 13%
Further education college 33% 26% 37%
Apprenticeship 0% 2% 3%
Work 0% 2% 3%

Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or work, over time

2023/242024/25
89%94%

Source: DfE key stage 4 destination measures, 2024/25 performance tables. England figures are for state-funded schools.

Admissions

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

Admissions dates and schools in Surrey

Pupils, staff and SEND

This is a special school for children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP). Places are arranged through the council's SEND team, not the normal admissions round. It caters for: Specific learning difficulties (such as dyslexia); Speech, language and communication needs; Autism.

PupilsThis schoolSurreyEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years 35.7% 42.8%* 51.9%
With an education, health and care plan 100.0% 99.8%* 99.5%
Receiving special educational needs support 0.0% 0.2%* 0.5%
English as an additional language 1.2% 10.1%* 14.4%
Overall absence (sessions missed) 10.9% 13.0%* 12.8%
Persistently absent (missed 10% or more) 28.4% 32.3%* 35.3%
Suspensions per 100 pupils 6.8 13.2 12.3
Pupils suspended at least once 5.6% 6.1% 5.1%
Pupils permanently excluded0 pupils 0.00% 0.03% 0.08%
Pupils per teacher 5.2 6.2 6.6
Pupils per adult (teachers and support staff) 2.2 2.3 2.3
Teachers who left during the year 18.2% 14.1%* 14.3%*

Comparisons are with special schools. * 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 pupil absence 2024/25; DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions 2024/25; DfE school workforce census 2025/26; DfE teacher turnover 2024/25.

SEND provision: Get Information about Schools (DfE).

Questions parents ask

What is St Dominic's School's Ofsted rating?

St Dominic's School was inspected under Ofsted's report card format in 21 April 2026. Report cards grade each area on a five-point scale instead of giving one overall grade. Its grades were 7 strong, and safeguarding was met.

How did St Dominic's School do in its GCSEs?

In 2024/25, 10% of pupils grade 5 or above in English and maths, 35 points below the England average of 45%.

Would parents recommend St Dominic's School?

90% of the 10 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey between 1 January 2024 and 6 January 2025 said they would recommend St Dominic's School to another parent. Parents choose whether to respond, so this may not represent all families.

Sources

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Page updated 26 September 2026.