Furze Down School
Community special school in Buckingham (Buckinghamshire).
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
Eyfs to KS4 - Verney Road, Winslow, MK18 3BL / Sixth Form - Well Street, Buckingham, MK18 1EN on behalf of the staff, pupils and governors, I am delighted to introduce our school. I was appointed to the school as a Teacher in 1995 and as Headteacher in 2015.
Over the years I have seen the school develop into the outstanding provision that it is today, providing a supportive and aspirational environment for children with complex Special Educational Needs. This was recognised by Ofsted in 2006, 2009, 2014 and 2018.
Our values of personal responsibility and respect have been instrumental in developing an ethos where views, beliefs and differences are appreciated and given a voice. Ofsted recognised our strong emphasis on spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, judging behaviour to be outstanding and support for families exceptional.
Our Specialist SEN Status was awarded in July 2009 in recognition of our leading practice in supporting children with Communication and Interaction difficulties, and this became the starting point for us to develop as a Centre of Excellence for SEN.
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Enrichment
15 activitiesiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Athletics
- Band
- Boxing
- Coding
- Cooking
- Dance
- Drama
- Football
- Gymnastics
- Swimming
- Gardening
- Orchestra
- Attachment Aware Schools
- Forest School
- Trauma Informed Schools
Awards
1 awardiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Woodland TrustRecognised award
Key facts
- URN
- 110585
- Type
- Community special school
- Phase
- Not applicable
- Ages
- 4 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Sixth form
- Has a sixth form
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Local authority
- Buckinghamshire
- Constituency
- Buckingham and Bletchley
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Governing body (8 current, 3 former)
Special schools governing body.
Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Matthew Watkins | Chair of Governors | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shikha Mayoll | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mr Shaun Bluck | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Rebecca Weymouth | Governance Professional - Local Authority Maintained SchoolGovernance professional | since 2024 | |
| Revd Stephen O'Connor | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mrs Diana Campbell | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mr Hugh Ellerton | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2021 · until 2029 |
| Mrs Alison Rooney | Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2016 · until 2030 |
| Janice Carr Former | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2025 · term ended 2026 |
| Ross McLean Former | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · term ended 2026 |
| Mrs Clare Bourne Former | Governor | Elected by school staff | since 2019 · term ended 2026 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 25 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record