Pond Meadow School
Pond Meadow School is a special academy in Guildford for boys and girls aged 2 to 19. It has 168 pupils and room for 200. About 39 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2023.
Larch Avenue, Guildford, GU1 1DR01483 532239pond-meadow.surrey.sch.ukMiss Emily Hayward headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
A shorter visit on 8 June 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Outstanding overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
8 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
The government hasn't published this school's headline results. Fewer than eleven pupils sat the exams, so the figures could identify individual children.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
9 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | Surrey | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 9 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 9 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 67% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 11% | 8% |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -12.4 | -1.3 | – | -1.7 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -11.6 | +0.2 | – | -2.2 | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Surrey council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, severe learning difficulties.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Surrey with autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (131), Severe learning difficulty (16), language and communications needs (11), Other difficulty or disability (4), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (4), Moderate learning difficulty (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 168 | 154 | 146 | 149 | 151 | 150 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 38% | 39% | 33% | 29% | 25% | 20% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 11% | 14% | 20% | 23% | 20% | 21% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 10% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% | 99% | 99% | 99% | 90% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 9.9% | 11.7% | 11.0% | 12.4% | 18.1% | 9.4% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 7.7% | 10.1% | 9.3% | 10.7% | 17.8% | 8.8% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.3% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 0.6% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 28.0% | 32.5% | 25.4% | 33.6% | 63.5% | 35.1% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 10 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Education | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guildford Nursery School | Local authority nursery school | 170 m | 174 | Report card 2026 | – | Compare |
| Christ's College, Guildford | Academy | 340 m | 641 | Good 2022 | 36 | Compare |
| Northmead Junior School | Academy | 540 m | 352 | Good 2022 | 70 | Compare |
| Weyfield Primary Academy | Academy | 560 m | 157 | Good 2023 | 48 | Compare |
| Stoughton Infant School | Academy | 830 m | 294 | Good 2023 | 40 | Compare |
| The Hope Service | Pupil referral unit | 0.7 miles | 0 | Outstanding 2023 | – | Compare |
| Wey Valley College | Academy alternative provision converter | 1.1 miles | 19 | Outstanding 2024 | – | Compare |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School | Academy | 1.1 miles | 717 | Good 2023 | 82 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Pond Meadow School a good school?
Pond Meadow School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it outstanding at its last inspection in June 2023.
What is Pond Meadow School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Pond Meadow School outstanding at its last full inspection on 8 June 2023.
How good are Pond Meadow School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.
How many pupils does Pond Meadow School have?
168 pupils aged 2 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 200 places, so it is 84% full.
What is attendance like at Pond Meadow School?
Pupils were in school 90.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 28% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Pond Meadow School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for autism, severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does Pond Meadow School have a sixth form?
Yes.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Larch Avenue, Guildford, GU1 1DR
- Telephone
- 01483 532239
- Website
- www.pond-meadow.surrey.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Miss Emily Hayward
- Type of school
- Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 2-19, with nursery, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Single-academy trust
- Pond Meadow Academy Trust (1 schools)
- Local authority
- Surrey
- Ward
- Bellfields & Slyfield
- Constituency
- Guildford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 November 2014 (academy converter)
- URN
- 141533 · LAESTAB 9367042 · UKPRN 10047894
- Formerly
- Pond Meadow School
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.