The Link School[1]

Special · ages 4–19

Headline results

Special schools' results are not shown as headlines: they are not comparable with mainstream schools'.

Results

Results at special schools and alternative provision aren't comparable with mainstream schools'. Shown as published, not compared.

GCSE (key stage 4)

Attainment 8: 1 2025/26[2]
Grade 5+ in English & maths: 0% 2025/26[2]
Grade 7+ in English & maths: 0% 2025/26[2]
Progress 8: -1.64 2023/24[3]
Progress 8, 2025/26: Not calculated[4]
Progress 8, 2024/25: Not calculated[4]

Earlier years
Year	Attainment 8	Grade 5+ in English & maths	Progress 8
2024/25	1.9[5]	0%[5]
2023/24	1.8[3]	0%[3]	-1.64[3]
2022/23	2.9[6]	0%[6]	-1.58[6]

Primary (key stage 2)

Expected standard (reading, writing & maths): 0% 2024/25[7]
Higher standard (reading, writing & maths): 0% 2024/25[7]
Reading, average scaled score: 95 2023/24[8]
Maths, average scaled score: 90 2023/24[8]
All results, 2021/22: Not published[9]
All results, 2020/21: Not published (exams cancelled, COVID-19)[9]
All results, 2019/20: Not published (exams cancelled, COVID-19)[9]

Earlier years
Year	Expected standard (reading, writing & maths)	Higher standard (reading, writing & maths)	Reading, average scaled score	Maths, average scaled score
2023/24	0%[8]	0%[8]	95[8]	90[8]
2022/23	0%[10]	0%[10]
2018/19	0%[11]	0%[11]
2017/18	0%[12]	0%[12]

Destinations after GCSEs

Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment: 100% 2022/23[13]
School sixth form: 0% 2022/23[13]
Sixth-form college: 0% 2022/23[13]
Further education college: 90% 2022/23[13]
Apprenticeship: 0% 2022/23[13]
Employment: 0% 2022/23[13]

Shares of the pupils who left in the year shown. Russell Group and Oxford or Cambridge figures were published for leavers up to 2019/20 only.

Ofsted

Latest inspection: 24 Jun 2025[14]
Type: S5 Inspection[14]
Report published: 22 Jul 2025[14]
Personal development: Outstanding[14]
Quality of education: Good[14]
Behaviour and attitudes: Outstanding[14]
Safeguarding is effective?: Yes[14]
Sixth form provision (where applicable): Good[14]
Effectiveness of leadership and management: Good[14]

Earlier inspections
Inspection	Type	Overall
27 Nov 2019[15]	Section 8 inspections of good and non-exempt outstanding schools[15]	No overall grade[15]

Competition to get in

No published data for this school.

Character & practicalities

Type: Academy special converter[1]
Ages: 4–19[1]
Boys / girls: Mixed[1]
Sixth form: Yes[1]
Boarding: No boarders[1]
Capacity: 148[1]
Trust: ORCHARD HILL COLLEGE ACADEMY TRUST[1]
Local authority: Sutton[1]
Website: http://www.thelinkschool.co.uk/[1]
District: Sutton [16]
Postcode: CR0 4PG[1]
URN: 144851[1]

School details as recorded in Get Information About Schools on 14 Oct 2026.

Pupils

Number on roll: 157 2024/25[17]
English as an additional language: 14% 2024/25[17]
SEN support: 0% 2024/25[17]
EHC plan: 100% 2024/25[17]
Free school meals in the last 6 years: 45.7% 2024/25[17]

Pupils' ethnicity 2025/26

White: 56.3%[18]
Mixed: 17.4%[18]
Asian: 12.6%[18]
Black: 8.4%[18]
Any other ethnic group: 3.6%[18]
Unclassified: 1.8%[18]

The school census's major ethnic groups as shares of the school's pupils, summed by us from the published counts. For information only: never used to rank, filter or colour schools.

Sources

Department for Education: Get Information About Schools: all establishments. Period 2026-10-14, published 2026-10-14. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Performance tables schools data (explore education statistics). Period 2025/26, provisional, published 2026-10-15. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2023/24, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Key stage 4 performance 2024/25: data guidance. Period 2024/25. Archived copy; original. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Quote
It is not possible to calculate Progress 8 for academic years 2024/25 and 2025/26 due to gaps in the baseline caused by COVID-19 disruption.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS2 final. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS2 final. Period 2023/24, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Key stage 2 attainment: national headlines 2021/22. Period 2021/22. Archived copy; original. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Quotes (2)
We will not publish key stage 2 data for academic year 2021/22 in performance tables (also known as Compare School and College Performance).
This is the first publication of key stage 2 attainment statistics since 2019 due to cancellation of 2020 and 2021 assessments during the pandemic.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS2 final. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS2 final. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS2 final. Period 2017/18, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2024/25. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2019/20. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Office for National Statistics: Parish to Ward to Local Authority District (May 2026) Lookup in EW. Period 2026-05-01. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: School census. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Schools, pupils and their characteristics: school level underlying data. Period 2025/26, published 2026-06-04. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.