The Link School
Swindon Road, Sunderland, SR3 4EE
- Phase
- Local authority maintained schools
- School type
- Pupil referral unit
- Ages
- 7 to 14
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Donna Walker
- Constituency
- Houghton and Sunderland South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Pupils on roll
- 164
- URN
- 135640
- Local authority
- Sunderland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01915623630
About this school
The Link School is a special school in Sunderland. It teaches children aged 7 to 14 and has 164 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 16 November 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. 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.
Trends over time
How The Link 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 |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 98 |
| 2023/24 | 125 |
| 2024/25 | 144 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 72.22%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sunningdale School0.1 miles
Special schools · Sunderland
-
Thornhill Park School0.5 miles
Special schools · Sunderland
-
Barbara Priestman Academy1.1 miles
Academies · Sunderland
-
North View Academy1.3 miles
Academies · Sunderland
-
Consilium Evolve1.3 miles
Academies · Sunderland
Other schools in Sunderland
- Barbara Priestman Academy Academies
- Beacon of Light School Free Schools
- Consilium Evolve Academies
- Education and Services for People with Autism Other types
- Endeavour SR Special schools
- Harry Watts Academy Free Schools
- North View Academy Academies
- Portland Academy Academies
- Sunningdale School Special schools
- Thornhill Park School Special schools
- Trinity Academy New Bridge Academies
- Hylton Red House Nursery School Nursery
Common questions
- What year groups does The Link School teach?
- The Link School teaches children aged 7 to 14. It is a special school in Sunderland.
- Who is the headteacher of The Link School?
- The headteacher of The Link School is Mrs Donna Walker, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The Link School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Link 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 big is The Link School?
- The Link School has 164 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 7 to 14.
- Is The Link School a faith school?
- No. The Link School has no designated religious character.
- Does The Link School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for The Link School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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 1 July 2026.