Welcome to The Cavendish School

Welcome to The Cavendish school, we are a specialist provision for Autistic pupils. We are proud to serve this community and their families throughout their educational journey with us and beyond. We are a young but strong community, our school first opened in August 2021 on the outskirts of Cambridge and we are proud to be Cambridgeshire’s first state maintained special free school provision for young autistic people. Our current pupils range from 7 years old (year 3) to 14 years old (year 10) with them we will grow our provision to be inclusive up to Post-16 in the academic year 2025 and 2026.Our school mission is to enable-the-self. Our passion for celebrating neuro-diversity and championing this in the wider community is evident in our strong school ethos and values. I whole heartedly believe that Autism is different not less and as a team of professionals we want everyone to not only see but value the beauty and positives that autistic individuals are able to offer.The Cavendish School provides a unique educational environment that young people with autism need to thrive and succeed when their needs cannot be met in a mainstream school. We provide a safe and nurturing environment in which students can enjoy learning, achieve their potential and develop the key skills they need to thrive as independent, emotionally and socially confident young adults.Our curriculum and teaching methodology supports each individual student, through a range of dedicated programmes and qualifications that build on their skills and allow them to achieve, make progress and experience success. We know that in order to achieve our mission we are educating the whole child and our curriculum is equally balanced with the holistic and academic needs of our pupils.We are working with the International Baccalaureate (IB) on a project of inclusion with global impact. Within this project we are one of a trio of specialists working on bringing this aspirational and prestigious curriculum to special schools around the world. Our aim as a strategic partner in this is to be an outstanding and inspiring learning community that is truly inclusive, innovative, impactful and international.Stephanie SmithHead of School

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Boarding Type

No Boarder

School Type

Free schools special

Suitable Ages

7 to 18

Gender

Mixed

No. of Students

116 Total

No. of Boys

92 (79.3%)

No. of Girls

24 (20.7%)




Exciting Updates Ahead!

We're currently gearing up to offer you a full list of our courses. Stay tuned — amazing learning opportunities are on their way very soon. Thank you for your interest and enthusiasm!


Exciting Events Ahead!

A detailed admissions process on ApplicaaOne is coming soon.

Please see our website for more information on our admissions process.


Updates Coming Soon!

A detailed admissions process on ApplicaaOne is coming soon.

Please see our website for more information on our admissions process.


Term Dates & Half-Term Holidays

Planning ahead for school holidays? Below are the term dates and half-term dates for the 2026/2027 academic year.

Autumn

2 terms

Half Term 1

Sep 1 - Oct 24

Half Term 2

Nov 3 - Dec 19

Spring

2 terms

Half Term 1

Jan 5 - Feb 12

Half Term 2

Feb 22 - Mar 31

Summer

2 terms

Half Term 1

Apr 19 - May 28

Half Term 2

Jun 7 - Jul 21

Half-Term & Holiday Dates

Autumn Half Term

Oct 27 - Oct 31

Christmas Break

Dec 22 - Jan 2

Spring Half Term

Feb 15 - Feb 19

Easter Break

Apr 2 - Apr 16

Summer Half Term

May 29 - Jun 4


Alumni Stories

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Updates Coming Soon!

We’ll be sharing information about the destinations of our alumni here soon.


Enrichment Activities

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They are seeking donations to support the launch of their E-Sports qualification. The aim is to enhance learning about business, finance, and strategy and gain practical, hands-on experience through the qualification. Pupils will engage with age-appropriate and skill-oriented games chosen by them to foster pupil agency and build confidence, communication and leadership skills.

Coding Club
Construction Club
Duke of Edinburgh Award

About School

RegionEast of England
Local AuthorityCambridgeshire
Ofsted Rating
Gender TypeMixed