School Chooser

St Dominic's School

Special · ages 7-19MixedAcademy183 pupilsSixth formGodalmingSurrey
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedStrong teachingOfsted report card, April 2026
Strong pass in English and maths10%England 46%
Attendance89.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families34%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull183 pupils, 150 places
Pupils per teacher5.2School workforce census

St Dominic's School is a special academy in Godalming for boys and girls aged 7 to 19. It has 183 pupils, 33 more than it has places for. About 34 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted visited in April 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Malthouse Lane, Hambledon, Godalming, GU8 4DX01428 684693stdominicsschool.org.ukMrs Vicky Perry principalAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 21 April 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
Strong
Achievement
Strong
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
Strong
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
Strong
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
Strong
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
Strong
Sixth formOfsted calls this “post-16”
Strong
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
24 May 2022S5 InspectionGood

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

20 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE score20.6
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths10%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths35%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-0.67In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2023/24, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 17.817.820182019: 20.020.020192022: 28.128.120222023: 22.622.620232024: 19.019.020242025: 20.620.62025
Since 2018: +2.8
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018†SurreyEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 1120271891211
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 820.619.022.628.120.017.850.646.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-0.67-1.19-1.80-1.43
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths10%19%17%11%17%9%54%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths35%22%28%33%25%9%73%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score1.371.291.712.261.501.414.544.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%0%0%44%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged10.710.827.1
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged24.923.819.0
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers16.712.0

† These results are for St Dominic's School, the school this one replaced in January 2018. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Subjects

Results came out for 7 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.

What is taught hereOffers computer science.
HumanitiesHistory7

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
Mathematics12 entries
42%England 53%
42%England 54%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Mathematics128%42%75%53%
English Language120%42%67%54%
Biology90%0%33%82%
Statistics825%63%75%51%
Computer Science714%14%14%56%
Combined Science729%43%71%36%
History714%57%71%52%

In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

6 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.

Reached the expected level at 110%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score92.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score88.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2019 to 2025
2019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2019: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025202420232019SurreyEngland
Pupils tested68911
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%67%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%11%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score92.0100.0102.0100.0107.0105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score88.092.0102.0100.0105.6104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score93.093.097.098.0106.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard17%13%33%27%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%13%33%27%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-1.4-7.8
Maths progressMaths progress score-3.0-10.3

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.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 2 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At GCSE, 2025

Average GCSE scoreLow-income pupils vs other pupils
10.724.9
Gap 14.2England 12.2
Strong pass in English and mathsLow-income pupils vs other pupils
0%14%
Gap 14 ptsEngland 22 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

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.

Pupils on roll183Census January 2026
Places150122% full
Pupils from low-income families36%34% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English3%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%183 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)36%£66,500 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls156 / 27
White British pupils80%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, speech, language and communication, specific 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 (152), language and communications needs (13), emotional and mental health (11), Other difficulty or disability (3), Moderate learning difficulty (2), Hearing impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll183162157153146138
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals36%37%36%37%35%32%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language3%1%1%2%2%2%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 89.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance89.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school28.4%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils6.82024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission3.6%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence10.9%16.2%12.6%12.0%16.0%10.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence7.4%10.3%8.1%7.3%14.4%6.8%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence3.6%5.9%4.6%4.7%1.6%3.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence28.4%38.5%37.7%32.1%54.8%25.0%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate6.83.89.22.71.5
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 18 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training94%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training94%89%87%100%
Education94%78%87%100%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%11%0%0%
Not in education, work or training0%11%13%0%

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers35.3full-time equivalent, 36 people
Pupils per teacher5.2Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers81%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants36.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,603
Teachers who left in the year18%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher6.62024/25

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.

Spend per pupil£41,605England £30,720. Total £6.7m
Income per pupil£45,407England £33,526. Total £7.4m
Spent on teachers per pupil£20,346England £11,966
Money in reserve12%A healthy amount put by: £870k, £5,367 per pupil. England 16%
Money in against money out+£616kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£41,605spent per pupil

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

Crimes within 500 m612 months to June 2026, mostly other crime
Local crime rate34 per 1,000 people63% lower than the England average
Typical house price£550,000Waverley
Nearest bus stop170 mMalthouse Lane, 4 stops within 500 m

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.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
King Edward's School WitleyIndependent0.8 miles473Not inspectedCompare
Witley CofE Controlled Infant SchoolChurch of England1.2 miles76Not inspectedCompare
The Chandler CofE Aided Junior SchoolChurch of England1.5 miles304Good 202365Compare
Barrow Hills SchoolIndependent1.6 miles181Not inspectedCompare
St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy1.6 miles198Not inspected62Compare
RodboroughAcademy2.0 miles882Report card 202676Compare
Milford SchoolFoundation2.5 miles116Good 202433Compare
Godalming CollegeAcademy 16-19 converter2.8 miles0Not inspectedCompare

Questions parents ask

Is St Dominic's School a good school?

St Dominic's School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted's report card from April 2026 rated its teaching as strong.

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

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 21 April 2026 it rated teaching as strong, achievement as strong, behaviour and attendance as strong, leadership as strong.

How good are St Dominic's School's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 10% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 20.6, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.

How good are St Dominic's 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 St Dominic's School have?

183 pupils aged 7 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 150 places, so it is 122% full.

What is attendance like at St Dominic's School?

Pupils were in school 89.1% 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 St Dominic's School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, speech, language and communication, specific learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does St Dominic's 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
Malthouse Lane, Hambledon, Godalming, GU8 4DX
Telephone
01428 684693
Website
www.stdominicsschool.org.uk
Principal
Mrs Vicky Perry
Type of school
Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
Phase
Special school, ages 7-19, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Orchard Hill College Academy Trust (13 schools)
Local authority
Surrey
Ward
Bramley & Wonersh
Constituency
Godalming and Ash
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 January 2018 (academy converter)
URN
145384 · LAESTAB 9367010 · UKPRN 10066404
Formerly
St Dominic's School

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from