| Queensmill School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
1 Askham Road , W12 0NW England | |
| Coordinates | 51°30′26″N0°14′33″W / 51.50712°N 0.24257°W /51.50712; -0.24257 |
| Information | |
| Type | Special school; Academy |
| Local authority | Hammersmith and Fulham |
| Department for Education URN | 147793Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Head of School | Aymeline Bel |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Age | 3 to 19 |
| Website | www |
Queensmill School is aco-educationalspecial school forautistic children inShepherd's Bush,London,England. The operator, the Queensmill Trust, also operates a school inKensington, anadult education college in Shepherd's Bush, and units at Fulham Primary School andFulham Cross Academy inFulham.
Queensmill School is at 1 Askham Road,Shepherd's Bush, and serves students aged 3–19 with moderate to complex autism in a three-storey building.[1][2] As of July 2015[update], its enrolment was approximately 140.[3] In summer 2024, approximately 70% of pupils were from the borough ofHammersmith and Fulham, and the rest from other boroughs includingKensington and Chelsea andWestminster.[4]
The school is operated by the Queensmill Trust, which also operates a purpose-built school for students aged 3–19, Kensington Queensmill School, in Barlby Road inKensington;[5][6] Queensmill College, for students 20 and above, at 50 Ellerslie Road in Shepherd's Bush;[7] and units for primary-school students at Fulham Primary School[2][8] and forKey Stage 4 students atFulham Cross Academy, both inFulham.[9]
Queensmill School began as acommunity school administered byHammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council which educated autistic children aged 3–11 in aVictorian building in Clancarty Road in Fulham.[10] After expanding to include secondary school, in the mid-2010s the school temporarily relocated to a site inWest Kensington during construction of a specially designed building in Askham Road in Shepherds Bush.[2][11][12] The new building has an on-site kitchen and the school hired a chef, Djalma Lucio Polli de Carvalho, with noticeable positive effects on students.[3]
In 2021 Queensmill School converted toacademy status under the sponsorship of Queen Charlotte Education Special Trust, now the Queensmill Trust.[4][13]
After previously being rated 'excellent' byOfsted,[12] in March 2022 Queensmill School received an 'inadequate' rating following an inspection on 16 and 17 November 2021. Problems noted included failures in updating records on student medications and in verifying background checks had been completed on new staff,[14][15] and a lack of understanding of current guidance on safeguarding.[16] On 21 April 2022, theDepartment for Education issued the school a termination warning notice.[17] The Head of School, Aymeline Bel, issued a statement that the school was short-staffed because ofBrexit and theCovid pandemic, had not completed all paperwork, and in hindsight should have filled all necessary positions before reopening.[4][16][18] Ofsted rated the school 'good' in April 2023.[14]
The Queensmill Trust has complained that Hammersmith and Fulham does not give the school sufficient 'top-up funding' to meet the costs of the requiredEducation, Health and Care Plans for students from the borough. The trust has agreed to merge withOrmiston Academies Trust for financial reasons.[4]
