Grafham Grange is a specialist Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) school located in Bramley, Surrey. It provides education for up to 70 11–16-year-olds, with every pupil having an EHCP.
Following an inadequate grading from Ofsted, the school has been issued with an Academy Order by the Department for Education. This requires the school to be transferred into another Trust – and London South East Academies Trust has been identified as the preferred choice by the DfE.
With our excellent track record for school improvement and significant SEND expertise, we are now working closely with Grafham Grange, Surrey County Council, the DfE and the existing Trust (Orchard Hill College Academy Trust) to progress this transfer.
Grafham Grange will join Bramley Oak Academy in our Trust’s growing ‘Surrey Hub’ of special schools. A specialist SEMH provision for 5–11-year-old boys, Bramley Oak is a feeder school for Grafham Grange and has been on its own significant and rapid journey of improvement.
Formerly the failing Wey House School, it was renamed Bramley Oak when it joined our Trust in April 2020. Ofsted judged the school as Good in October 2023, noting that it now ‘transforms lives and gives renewed hope’.
As a Trust, we look forward to supporting staff at Grafham Grange on a similar journey – with the aim of ensuring that every pupil has access to the high-quality education and care they deserve and are entitled to.
This new free school will offer much-needed specialist SEMH provision to address rapidly growing demand in Surrey. It will also create progression routes from our primary SEMH provision, Bramley Oak Academy, located in Guildford.