Ages 
A place where gentle support and guidance encourages pupils to grow in confidence and achieve their potential. Knowl Hill School is a smoother-than-usual journey for students with specific needs, becoming young adults and moving on to colleges for academic or vocational courses at 16+. A safe haven for its pupils.
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Overview & data
- Pupil numbers
- 62 ·
- Religion
- None
- Local authority
- Surrey County Council
- SEN provision
- · SpLD
Headteacher
Head teacher and Managing Director
Dr Kas Govender
Since 2022, Dr Kas Govender, previously deputy head.
Entrance
Children can enter the junior school from 8/9 years, or 11+ for the upper school. For admission, parents need to send in their child’s educational and medical reports, EHCP and any other relevant paperwork. Staff consider each application on an
- Open days
- Telephone school for an appointment.
Exit
After year 11 pupils move on to a variety of both state and independent schools and colleges for post-16 courses. Depending on when pupils enter the school, some are able to integrate into the mainstream system if suitable.
Latest results
We do not publish results data for special schools. Find out more.
Teaching & learning
Specialist independent school for pupils with specific learning differences, primarily dyslexia and the co-occurring conditions, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD and SLCN. Divided into two departments, lower school (year 5-7) and upper school
- Qualifications taken in 2024
- GCSE
Learning support & SEN
Knowl Hill School has CResTeD Status accreditation for its specialist teaching.
Arts & extracurricular
The pride and joy of the school is the art block complete with photography and pottery studios; creativity abounds with matching exam results. Impressive number of choices include textiles, DT, woodwork, and of course painting and sculpture.
Sport
No rolling acres, but playing fields and tennis courts are opposite the school, where pupils benefit from a ‘sport for all’ approach. Sports staff help pupils find physical activities and games that suit them. Alongside traditional sports, pupils can
Ethos & heritage
The school was founded in Woking in 1984, moving to Pirbright in the mid-1990s to take over what had originally been a Victorian village school premises. After a short period of ups and downs, the place is now firmly back on track. The senior
Therapy & staffing
Healthcare professionals, learning support assistants and teachers work together to incorporate therapies and sensory activities into the curriculum for whole class and small group learning. Some pupils receive one-to-one sessions with speech and
Pastoral care, inclusivity & discipline
Pastoral care and wellbeing are the absolute bedrock of everything that happens in and around the school. 'Some pupils arrive here feeling at a low ebb, so this is a really important area for us to understand and keep developing. Without self-esteem
Pupils & parents
Children are from wide mix of different backgrounds and nationalities. There is no particular catchment area. Most from Surrey and the neighbouring counties Hampshire, Berkshire and the outskirts of London. Some are provided with local authority
Money matters
A large percentage of the pupils have EHCPs and are funded by their local authorities.
The last word
A place where gentle support and guidance encourages pupils to grow in confidence and achieve their potential. Knowl Hill School is a smoother-than-usual journey for students with specific needs, becoming young adults and moving on to colleges for
