Sunnydown is a Surrey Local Authority special school for 85 secondary aged boys (11-16 years). All of our pupils have a Statement of Special Educational Needs.

Sunnydown school is a truly life-changing educational establishment: transforming the lives of our young men as well as their families. The positive atmosphere and feeling of encouragement underpins the ethos of all that we aspire to do each day.

This warmth is felt on entry to our school, our 1850’s main building, and flows into our newest developments: a brand new eight classroom teaching block with state of the art technology and an extended, light-filled, new dining hall.

We are fortunate to be a residential special school catering for young men in KS3 and KS4 who have a statement of SEN or an EHC Plan which identifies Communication and Interaction needs as a primary need. Many of our students have autism (ASD). The young men who attend are academically able, with many obtaining GCSE grades A and B in Maths and Science. Specialised support is in place for those who find English more challenging. All of our young men are exceptionally well behaved, and engage in and are responsible for their own learning.

Sunnydown school is truly a unique place to learn and work; the progress made by our young men, both socially and academically, is nothing short of exceptional , a result of the mutually respectful relationships between students and staff, and supported by the strength of support from our students’ families at home. In essence, our success is our young men themselves, whose developing resilience and emerging belief in their own abilities sees them encouraged, enabled and empowered for a successful life beyond Sunnydown.

Mr Paul Jensen B Ed, Grad Dip (SEBD), NPQH,

Head teacher

Mr Jensen started at Sunnydown in September 2014, having been a deputy at two previous schools – most recently at Clarendon School, a community special school in Richmond. He was drawn to the energy and warmth of Sunnydown and relishes the many challenges in maintaining this while ensuring the school continues to meet the increasing demands of providing quality education in the 21st Century. Mr Jensen enjoys all aspects of teaching and education and in his spare time likes to run. If he was not in education, his alternative career choices would be professional fisherman or wildlife photographer.

Mr Jez Lord BSc Hons, PGCE,

Deputy Head

Mr Lord started his teaching career in Physical Education before becoming a head of sixth form in Middlesex, then moving to Sunnydown. Here, his experience of mainstream education has been invaluable in his role handling the day-to-day running of the school. As a father of boys, an under-8s football team coach, and as one of three boys himself, working with the pupils at Sunnydown comes as second nature.

Mrs Hayleigh Rogers,

School Business Manager

Mrs Rogers joined us at the start of the 2015 school year, and is our latest recruit to the Senior Leadership Team. She comes with extensive experience as a business manager in retail, and is a great asset to the management of the school. She has a tremendous energy for getting things done. She has a son and young daughter, in her spare time loves baking and travelling.