Watergate School
Watergate School is a foundation special school in London for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 185 pupils and room for 186. About 43 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 2022.
Lushington Road, Bellingham, London, SE6 3WG020 8695 6555watergate.lewisham.sch.ukMrs Linda Matthews headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
A shorter visit on 10 March 2022 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.
This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
22 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | Lewisham | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 22 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 18 | 14 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 69% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 10% | 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 | – | – | -5.2 | -1.3 | +0.7 | -2.3 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -5.4 | -1.4 | -0.5 | -4.2 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – | – | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – | – | – | – |
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. Every gap at this school 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 the end of primary school, 2025
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 Lewisham 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, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, specific learning difficulties, visual impairment.
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 Lewisham with autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Specific learning difficulty (46), Severe learning difficulty (44), language and communications needs (39), Autistic spectrum disorder (37), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (11), Hearing impairment (2).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 185 | 189 | 189 | 159 | 154 | 140 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 43% | 42% | 41% | 36% | 35% | 36% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 35% | 39% | 42% | 42% | 42% | 39% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 2% | 1% | 4% | 5% | 2% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 98% | 100% | 96% | 96% | 98% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 89.6% 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 | 10.4% | 12.3% | 12.4% | 11.6% | 8.8% | 8.6% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 8.3% | 9.9% | 10.9% | 10.2% | 7.0% | 7.8% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.2% | 2.4% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 0.8% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 35.6% | 42.8% | 46.0% | 40.9% | 24.8% | 28.9% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 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 council school accounts, year to March 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sedgehill Academy | Academy | 260 m | 960 | Good 2022 | 58 | Compare |
| St Augustine's Catholic Primary School and Nursery | Roman Catholic | 400 m | 216 | Good 2024 | 59 | Compare |
| Elfrida Primary School | Council | 410 m | 335 | Good 2022 | 7 | Compare |
| St John Baptist Southend Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 820 m | 177 | Good 2020 | 46 | Compare |
| Athelney Primary School | Council | 980 m | 354 | Good 2022 | 6 | Compare |
| Haseltine Primary School | Council | 0.7 miles | 385 | Good 2023 | 56 | Compare |
| Worsley Bridge Primary School | Academy | 0.7 miles | 324 | Good 2024 | 21 | Compare |
| Conisborough College | Academy | 0.7 miles | 703 | Requires improvement 2022 | 4 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Watergate School a good school?
Watergate School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it outstanding at its last inspection in March 2022.
What is Watergate School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Watergate School outstanding at its last full inspection on 10 March 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.
How good are Watergate 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.
How many pupils does Watergate School have?
185 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 186 places, so it is 99% full.
What is attendance like at Watergate School?
Pupils were in school 89.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 36% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Watergate School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for autism, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, specific learning difficulties, visual impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does Watergate School have a breakfast club?
Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Lushington Road, Bellingham, London, SE6 3WG
- Telephone
- 020 8695 6555
- Website
- www.watergate.lewisham.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Linda Matthews
- Free breakfast club
- Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
- Type of school
- Foundation special school (Foundation special school, special schools)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 4-11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- *Co-op Brent Knoll and Watergate Co-operative Trust (2 schools)
- Local authority
- Lewisham
- Ward
- Bellingham
- Constituency
- Lewisham East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 100766 · LAESTAB 2097182 · UKPRN 10077050
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.
- 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, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- Breakfast club: DfE list of schools on the free breakfast club programme.
- 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.