Grove House School

  • Special
  • Free school
  • Ages 8 to 19
Ofsted: Good

Sawyers Hall Lane, Brentwood, CM15 9DAOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)

Grove House School is a special school in Brentwood for ages 8 to 19. It is one of the 604 schools in Essex. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in June 2018.

Ofsted inspection

Inspected 6 June 2018, report published 16 July 2018

Overall effectiveness
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Safeguarding
Met

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 5 December 2023

As pupils progress through the school, they become confident and develop their independence skills as a result of the school's ambitious expectations. They learn to communicate more clearly and cope with a range of different challenges. Pupils expand their vocabulary and improve the clarity of their speech due to the strong focus on speech and language therapy. They leave with a range of relevant qualifications. Pupils are enthusiastic about the different activities beyond the core curriculum. All pupils take part in some way in the annual drama production. There are lots of different clubs on offer at lunchtime, including for signing, arts and sport. There is a strong sense of community, with older pupils supporting younger ones. For example, the sixth form raised money by organising a Christmas sale for other pupils to buy presents for friends and family. Pupils are very well behaved, and disruption in class is rare. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe both out and about and when online. They feel safe and know adults whom they can talk to if they are worried. The personal, social and health education programme is flexible in order to focus on any particular issues that may arise, for example about consent.

What the school should improve

  • Some staff have not yet developed the expert skills in interacting with pupils that others have. This means that pupils are sometimes prompted too soon or not supported to develop new vocabulary as well as they might. The school needs to ensure that all staff continue to develop these skills to support pupils to be independent and to develop a wide vocabulary, so that this is done to an excellent level.
  • The curriculum is not as broad as it could be. For example, the design and technology offer could be extended. This means that some parents and pupils feel that they could have more choice in what pupils study or the qualifications they gain. The school needs to continue to develop the curriculum to be aspirational and varied, working with families to enable them to understand this offer.

Exam results

SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25

12 pupils took the tests

Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%

0%, 62 percentage points below the England average of 62%.

Higher standard in reading, writing and maths0%

0%, 8 percentage points below the England average of 8%.

GCSE results (key stage 4), 2024/25

8 pupils in the year group

Attainment 8 score5.4

5.4, 40.7 below the England average of 46.1.

Grade 5 or above in English and maths0%

0%, 45.4 percentage points below the England average of 45.4%.

Grade 4 or above in English and maths0%

0%, 64.8 percentage points below the England average of 64.8%.

Pupils entering the EBacc0%

0%, 40.5 percentage points below the England average of 40.5%.

EBacc average point score0.21

0.21, 3.88 below the England average of 4.09.

Pupil numbers and mix

132 pupils on roll, with places for 130

Eligible for free school meals26.5%

26.5%, the same as the England average.

English as an additional language3.8%

3.8%, 17.8 percentage points below the England average of 21.6%.

Special educational needs support0%

0%, 14.8 percentage points below the England average of 14.8%.

Education, health and care plan100%

100%, 94 percentage points above the England average of 6%.

Schools near Grove House School

SchoolDistanceOfstedResults
Endeavour Co-Operative Academy1 mileOfsted: Good0% met the expected standard
Lime Academy Forest Approach3 milesOfsted: Good0% met the expected standard
Lime Academy Ravensbourne4 milesOfsted: GoodNot published
The Bridge6 milesOfsted: GoodAttainment 8: 24.3
Corbets Tey School6 milesOfsted: Good0% met the expected standard

School details

School type
Free schools special
Sector
Free school
Trust
SEAX TRUST
Age range
8 to 19
Gender
Mixed
Headteacher
Lisa Christodoulides
Address
Sawyers Hall Lane, Brentwood, CM15 9DA
Local authority
Essex
URN
141945

School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.