Hillside Special School
Hitchcock Place, Sudbury, CO10 1NNOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Hillside Special School is a special school in Sudbury for ages 4 to 19. It is one of the 357 schools in Suffolk. Its latest Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, graded each key judgement and gave no overall Ofsted rating.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 24 June 2025, report published 8 September 2025
This inspection graded each key judgement and gave no overall effectiveness grade.
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 24 June 2025
Pupils love attending Hillside. They arrive at school with a smile on their face, ready for the day ahead. Caring staff greet pupils with a warm welcome and a 'good morning'. This helps pupils quickly settle into class and begin learning. Staff build incredibly positive relationships with pupils. They teach pupils how to become more independent and confident. Pupils show this independence when collecting their lunch from the dining hall before sitting down to eat with their friends. Pupils behave exceptionally well. They are highly motivated to work hard, especially when they find work tricky. This helps pupils to reach the high expectations the school has of them. Consequently, pupils achieve well. A vast range of activities help pupils secure crucial life skills. Pupils gleefully accept these opportunities. Many happen in school, such as attending yoga classes or acting as sports leaders for younger pupils. Equally, pupils love to get out into the world around them. Pupils are proud to represent their school when travelling on the bus, shopping in the supermarket or taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme. All of this prepares pupils very well for life after Hillside.
What the school should improve
- There are some inconsistencies in the teaching expertise and subject knowledge of staff. This leads to occasions where teaching does not support pupils' needs as effectively as it could. When this happens, pupils do not build on what they know and can do as well as they might. The school should ensure all staff have the expertise to match the support they offer pupils more precisely to pupils' individual needs.
- Sometimes, the school's priorities for future school improvement lack clarity. This makes it hard for the school to evaluate the impact of its work. The school should ensure that its priorities for school improvement are clear, specific and measurable. This is so it has a better understanding of what is working well and where to target future improvements.
Exam results
SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25
12 pupils took the tests
Pupil numbers and mix
89 pupils on roll, with places for 86
Schools near Hillside Special School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chalk Hill | 1 mile | Ofsted: Requires improvement | Not published |
| The Ryes College | 5 miles | No Ofsted inspection | Attainment 8: 3.8 |
| Teaseldown School | 8 miles | Ofsted: Good | Not published |
| The Yellow House School | 8 miles | Report card: Expected standard to strong standard | Attainment 8: 6.6 |
| Gable End | 9 miles | Ofsted: Good | Not published |
School details
- School type
- Community special school
- Sector
- Local authority maintained
- Age range
- 4 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lizzi Murphy
- Phone
- 01787372808
- Address
- Hitchcock Place, Sudbury, CO10 1NN
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- URN
- 124903
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.