Watergate School
Lushington Road, Bellingham, London, SE6 3WG
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Foundation special school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- *Co-op Brent Knoll and Watergate Co-operative Trust
- Headteacher
- Mrs Linda Matthews
- SEN provision
- SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, VI - Visual Impairment, SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, PD - Physical Disability, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Lewisham East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 186
- Pupils on roll
- 185
- URN
- 100766
- Local authority
- Lewisham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02086956555
About this school
Watergate School is a foundation special school in London. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 185 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Watergate School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 10 March 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Outstanding. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 14 | 18 | 22 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | - | - |
| Reading progress | -5.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -4.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -5.40 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Watergate School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Lewisham average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 0% | 59.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 64.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 12.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 12.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 159 |
| 2023/24 | 189 |
| 2024/25 | 189 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 44.44%
- English as an additional language
- 39.2%
- Overall absence
- 10.41%
- Persistent absence
- 35.63%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Brent Knoll School0.9 miles
Special schools · London
-
New Woodlands School1.0 miles
Special schools · Bromley
-
Greenvale School1.2 miles
Special schools · London
-
St Dunstan's College1.3 miles
Independent schools · London
-
St Christophers The Hall School1.3 miles
Independent schools · Beckenham
Other schools in London
- Abbey Manor College Local authority maintained schools
- Abingdon House School Special schools
- Ambitious College Other types
- Area 51 Education Ltd Other types
- Beatrice Tate School Special schools
- Beckmead College Academies
- Belmont Park School Special schools
- Beormund Primary School Special schools
- BeyondAutism Post-19 Other types
- Blanche Nevile School Special schools
- Blossom Rose School Special schools
- Brent Knoll School Special schools
Common questions
- What ages does Watergate School teach?
- Watergate School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a special school in London.
- Who is the headteacher of Watergate School?
- The headteacher of Watergate School is Mrs Linda Matthews, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Watergate School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Watergate School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Watergate School?
- Watergate School has 185 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Watergate School full?
- Watergate School has capacity for 186 pupils and 185 on roll (99%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Watergate School a faith school?
- No. Watergate School has no designated religious character.
- Is Watergate School part of an academy trust?
- Watergate School is part of *Co-op Brent Knoll and Watergate Co-operative Trust. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Watergate School have?
- The schools register lists Watergate School's special educational needs provision as: SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty; VI - Visual Impairment; SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health; MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment; PD - Physical Disability; MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty; SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty; PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Watergate School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Watergate School's absence rate?
- Watergate School's overall absence rate is 10.4% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Watergate School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Watergate School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.