Providing chances, Promoting choices, Producing change 

The Fordway Centre is a Short Stay School (Pupil Referral Unit) for primary-aged pupils who are struggling to manage in a mainstream setting. We aim to understand each child’s individual needs, provide the right support, and help them develop the behaviours for learning that will enable a successful return to mainstream education, where appropriate.

We work with children aged 5–11 (Year 1 to Year 6) from schools across North East and North West Surrey. Pupils join Fordway either following a permanent exclusion, referred by the local authority, or on a short-term intervention placement. All intervention referrals are considered at a panel meeting involving both the local authority and Fordway.

At Fordway, we provide a calm, nurturing and structured environment where children can rebuild confidence, learn positive behaviours, and re-engage with education. Our behaviour policy is built on clear expectations, consistent routines, and a highly visual, motivating rewards system. Small classes of up to eight pupils benefit from a high ratio of skilled adults who can give personalised attention and support.

Our curriculum is broad, creative, and cross-curricular, designed to capture pupils’ interests and inspire learning. Lessons are carefully planned and adapted by teachers and teaching assistants to meet individual needs, while maintaining high expectations for academic progress.

The Fordway Journey

In April 2015, the Fordway Centre joined the federation of Reigate Valley College and Wey Valley College. In June 2016, Fordway was judged as Outstanding in all areas by Ofsted. In September 2021, the Federation became the Inclusive Education Trust (IET). In the last two inspections (May 2021 and May 2024), the Fordway Centre has continued to remain Outstanding. The IET values of Honesty, Respect, and Compassion underpin everything we do.

In 2023, we were delighted to receive approval for a brand-new building on our Ashford site. That September, the school relocated to high-quality temporary accommodation next to our Wey Valley College site while construction took place. By June 2025, our state-of-the-art, purpose-built school was completed, and we were thrilled to move back into our new home, where we are now proudly based.

Our website is designed to give you a clear insight into our school, while also keeping parents, pupils, and the wider community up to date with the latest information. We hope you find everything you need here, but if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly – we’ll be happy to help.

Samantha Dawson-Coop

Acting Head of Centre