Oakley School
Community special school in Tunbridge Wells (Kent).
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
Please e-mail if you would like any of the information Here you will find in a different format. Our children and young people are at the heart of everything we do. A very warm welcome to Oakley School.
We are the district Special School for children and young people from 3 to 19 years with a wide range of special educational needs located in our Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge (post-16) sites Our Mission: Children and Young People at the heart of all we do.
Our Ethos: Work Hard, Be Kind, Have Fun & Stay Safe Our Vision: To give all our children and young people opportunities to engage, explore, discover and develop their independence – to become confident, resilient, happy and well prepared for a positive and meaningful future.
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Enrichment
9 activitiesiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Basketball
- Cooking
- Dance
- Duke of Edinburgh
- Football
- Mindfulness
- Yoga
- Forest School
- Trauma Informed Schools
Awards
3 awardsiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Eco SchoolsEnvironment
- Duke of EdinburghPersonal development
- Leading Parent Partnership AwardWorking with families
Key facts
- URN
- 132148
- Type
- Community special school
- Phase
- Not applicable
- Ages
- 4 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Sixth form
- Has a sixth form
- Local authority
- Kent
- Constituency
- Tunbridge Wells
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Opened
- 2000
Governing body (6 current, 2 former)
Special schools governing body.
Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lizzie Bentley Bowers | Chair of Governors | Appointed by GB/board | since 2026 · until 2030 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Colin Sefton Sefton | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Jo Dawson-McNally | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Nick Ralph | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · until 2028 |
| Mr Jonathan Vanns | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2028 |
| Hannah Tatlock | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Ms Emma Spiers Former | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · term ended 2026 |
| Mr David Martin Former | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2022 · 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