We offer education to autistic children who have been referred by their local authority through a curriculum tailored to suit their needs. In some cases, this means teaching a child from Year 7 to Year 13. The school is a day school taking students from Lambeth and other surrounding local authorities. 

All students must have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan (formerly a Statement of Special Educational Needs) that refers to a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Though no longer recognised in the DSMV, our students’ diagnosis may include Asperger’s or High Functioning Autism.

In addition to their diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder students may also have additional needs, for example obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Students may also have associated needs in the areas of emotional, social and communication and interaction development and/or psychological or mental health difficulties. In addition, students may have sensory, or physical/motor difficulties.

Our students benefit from provision that opens up the depth and breadth of the full mainstream curriculum while recognising that some children need the additional support of our school to manage anxiety arising from their autism, sensory, social and communication difficulties are unable to manage a mainstream school environment.

Students at Vanguard School access a structured environment and high levels of targeted intervention and differentiation throughout the school day. Our students work at broadly age-related levels of attainment and we anticipate that they will gain a range of qualifications, including GCSEs, A-levels and vocational qualifications.

Our admissions chart is a step-by-step guide to help you through the process of getting your child registered for Vanguard School.

Whether you have already included our school on your child’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan, or whether you are concerned that your current school is not meeting your child’s needs and are considering other options, we hope you find this chart useful.

If you are in a local community or parent partnership group and would like to find out more, please contact us using our online form. We’d be delighted to share with you our vision for the Vanguard School.

If you wish to be kept informed on the school's progress, you can also use the online form to register your interest.