Royal Free Hospital Children's School is an Outstanding state community special school serving pupils aged 5 to 16 in Hampstead, Camden. Operating from two sites—the paediatric wards at Royal Free Hospital and the Konstam Centre in Highgate—the school has been awarded Lead Practice Status for Mental Health and Well Being, reflecting its pioneering role in supporting children experiencing complex medical conditions, eating disorders, and mental health challenges. With a distinctive model that integrates hospital ward teaching, alternative provision programmes, and outreach services, RFHCS provides education where traditional school attendance is not possible. The school received an Outstanding rating across all categories in its most recent graded Ofsted inspection in 2019, with inspectors noting that "The school provides an exceptional quality of education for pupils." Headteacher Alex Yates leads a team specialising in trauma-informed practice and therapeutic curriculum delivery, serving approximately 40 pupils through a flexible, personalised approach that adapts to each child's changing medical and emotional needs.
Royal Free Hospital Children's School exists to ensure that illness, whether physical or mental, does not become a barrier to learning. The school's vision centres on enabling every pupil to thrive despite the challenges they face, maintaining continuity of education during periods when attending mainstream school is impossible or inadvisable. This ethos is lived daily through the integration of educational and clinical teams; school staff attend hospital ward rounds and contribute to multidisciplinary meetings, ensuring teaching plans align with medical treatment and therapeutic goals.
The school operates across two distinct settings. Ward teaching at Royal Free Hospital on Pond Street serves children admitted as in-patients to the paediatric wards, providing bedside and classroom education flexibly according to each child's health status. Meanwhile, the Konstam Centre in Highgate—a building with its own poignant history, opened in 1922 as a children's hospital by the Konstam family in memory of two brothers killed in the First World War—now houses four alternative provision programmes. These cater for pupils referred by paediatricians, CAMHS, and Camden's medical needs panel, many of whom are under the care of the Royal Free Eating Disorders Intensive Service or experiencing emotionally-based school avoidance.
Leaders and staff share an unwavering commitment to understanding the individual behind the diagnosis. The atmosphere is one of acceptance and patience, where setbacks are anticipated and progress is measured in small, meaningful steps. Ofsted in 2015 observed that "The headteacher has successfully created a very positive culture and ethos amongst school staff. Adults are without exception proud of their work and of the whole team spirit of cooperation in ensuring each pupil achieves well." This culture has continued under current headteacher Alex Yates, whose leadership has contributed to the school's national reputation in hospital education.
Royal Free Hospital Children's School does not follow the standard accountability measures typical of mainstream schools; its pupils are not entered for Key Stage 2 SATs or held to Progress 8 benchmarks. Instead, academic success is defined by maintaining engagement with learning during periods of acute illness, reintegrating pupils back to their home schools where possible, and ensuring that medical or mental health crises do not derail educational progress entirely.
The curriculum is broad and carefully structured by expert subject leaders. It is designed to be flexible enough to accommodate pupils with profound learning difficulties, gifted and talented learners, children with autism spectrum disorders, sensory impairments, and those for whom English is an additional language. Teaching is personalised, with staff adapting content and pace to match each pupil's current capacity and prior attainment. On the hospital wards, lessons may be delivered bedside or in small teaching spaces, with the understanding that sessions may be interrupted by medical procedures or fatigue.
At the Konstam Centre, pupils benefit from a curriculum enriched by therapeutic interventions including art therapy, drama therapy, and equine therapy. These are not add-ons but integral components of a holistic educational programme aimed at developing social skills, resilience, and strategies to manage trauma. Weekly visits to an equine centre, therapy dog sessions, and sports activities at the Royal Free's recreation club and Pirate Castle centre provide opportunities for pupils to experience success outside traditional academic tasks, building confidence and emotional regulation.
Ofsted's 2019 inspection judged the quality of teaching, learning and assessment as Outstanding, noting that pupils achieved well from their varied starting points. However, a more recent monitoring visit in early 2025 observed that the school is navigating a period of adjustment. A new headteacher took up post in September 2024, and the school has responded to recent changes in the profile of pupils' needs by redesigning aspects of the curriculum. Inspectors noted that "the delivery of the curriculum is not yet consistently effective" and that "in some subjects pupils do not build their knowledge well enough over time." This reflects the inherent challenge of serving a transient and highly vulnerable cohort, where curriculum continuity is difficult and where therapeutic and medical priorities often take precedence over academic progression.
Support for special educational needs is central to the school's identity. Every pupil has complex needs, whether arising from medical conditions such as Type 1 diabetes, eating disorders, or mental health diagnoses including anxiety, school refusal, and trauma-related conditions. The school has developed national expertise in supporting pupils with Type 1 diabetes and is recognised for its trauma-informed approach. Specialist staff including educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, and pastoral leaders work alongside teaching staff. The Konstam Centre is fully wheelchair accessible, with a dedicated lift entrance ensuring physical barriers do not prevent access.
Pupils typically return to mainstream or other specialist schools once their health stabilises, or they may receive long-term provision if reintegration is not appropriate. The school's medical outreach teaching service also supports Camden pupils who are missing education due to ill health, providing tuition in homes or other settings to maintain continuity.
The Royal Free Hospital Children's School offers a student experience unlike any other. Pupils attending the ward teaching programme are by definition unwell, admitted to hospital for conditions ranging from acute physical illness to mental health crises. Their "school day" is shaped by medical needs: lessons may be brief or fragmented, delivered in pyjamas at a bedside or in a bright teaching room when energy allows. Despite these constraints, staff strive to create moments of normality—celebrating birthdays, marking seasonal events, and fostering peer interaction where children's health permits.
At the Konstam Centre, the environment is more structured but remains responsive and nurturing. The building accommodates up to 50 children and young people aged 5 to 16, currently supporting around 40. Pupils attend full-time or part-time according to individual plans agreed with referrers and families. The setting includes dedicated spaces for therapy, small group teaching, and creative activities. The school holds Platinum Artsmark status, reflecting a strong commitment to arts-based learning, and has also achieved the Healthy Schools London Gold Award.
Extracurricular opportunities are adapted to the context. Traditional clubs and sports teams are replaced by therapeutic and enrichment activities integrated into the timetable: equine therapy at a local centre, drama therapy sessions, art therapy, and therapy dog visits. Physical education takes place at the Royal Free's recreation club and Pirate Castle, a canal-based activity centre, offering pupils outdoor experiences and the chance to build physical confidence in safe, supported settings.
Facilities at the Konstam Centre include specialist support rooms for psychology, speech and language therapy, and drama therapy, all under one roof to ease access for pupils and families. The building's accessibility features ensure pupils with physical disabilities can participate fully. On the hospital site, teaching spaces are necessarily compact but resourced with learning materials, IT equipment, and sensory resources to engage pupils at all levels.
Admission to Royal Free Hospital Children's School does not follow the usual parental choice model. Pupils are not admitted via the standard local authority admissions round or a catchment area. Instead, placement is determined by referral from medical professionals and Camden panels. The school serves 40 places, including a varying number of children on the hospital wards and up to 10 full-time day pupil places at the Konstam Centre.
Referrals are accepted from paediatric consultants, CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services), and Camden's SEN panel or medical needs panel. A consultant referral is required to access provision, and liaison between agencies precedes any offer of placement. Referrals to the alternative provision programmes and the outreach teaching service are processed through Camden's School Inclusion Panel, which meets every half-term.
For pupils missing education due to ill health, schools or professionals can apply for support from the medical needs outreach teaching service. The pupil must be a Camden resident of statutory school age, and schools should make a referral as soon as a child has been or is likely to be absent for over three weeks cumulatively. Application papers and supporting medical evidence are submitted to the School Inclusion Panel, which meets every six weeks. Contact for applications is Dylan Buckle at Camden Council (Dylan.Buckle@camden.gov.uk, 0207 974 1654).
There is no competition for places in the conventional sense, but capacity is limited and demand for specialist mental health and medical education provision in London is high. Parents and carers are not able to apply directly; instead, they must work through their child's clinical team, school, or local authority. Families are asked to provide written consent for information sharing and to keep the school updated on their child's health and medical absences.
The school does not publish a furthest distance offered, as geography is not a determining factor. However, the school primarily serves Camden residents, with some provision for pupils from neighbouring boroughs where joint-funded placements are agreed.
Royal Free Hospital Children's School occupies a vital but often invisible place in the educational landscape. For the children it serves—those too unwell to attend mainstream school, those in crisis, those whose mental health needs have pushed them out of conventional settings—this school represents continuity, hope, and a recognition that learning matters even when life is at its most fragile.
The school's Outstanding grading in 2019 and its Lead Practice Status for Mental Health and Well Being reflect genuine expertise and deep commitment. Staff work in challenging circumstances, balancing academic goals with therapeutic and medical imperatives, often with pupils who are transient, traumatised, or disengaged. The integration of education and clinical care is exemplary, and the breadth of therapeutic provision—art, drama, equine therapy, psychology, speech and language support—demonstrates a holistic understanding of what vulnerable children need.
Recent inspection feedback has highlighted areas for development, particularly around curriculum consistency and knowledge progression. This is unsurprising given the complexity of the cohort and the recent leadership transition. The school is adapting to evolving pupil needs and refining its curriculum accordingly, a necessary process that may take time to embed fully.
For families navigating the distress of a child's serious illness or mental health crisis, Royal Free Hospital Children's School offers specialist, compassionate provision. It is not a school that parents choose in the usual sense, but for those whose children need it, it is an essential lifeline. The school will not suit every family's expectations—academic outcomes are secondary to wellbeing and stabilisation—but for children who cannot be in mainstream education, this is one of the best-resourced and most thoughtful settings available in North London.
Royal Free Hospital Children's School is rated Outstanding by Ofsted (most recent graded inspection 2019) and holds Lead Practice Status for Mental Health and Well Being. It provides exceptional, specialised education for children who are unable to attend mainstream school due to medical or mental health needs. Recent monitoring visits have identified areas for curriculum development, but the school's therapeutic approach, integration with clinical services, and commitment to vulnerable pupils remain strengths.
Admission is by referral only, not by parental application. Referrals are made by paediatric consultants, CAMHS, or through Camden's SEN panel and School Inclusion Panel. Parents cannot apply directly but should work with their child's medical team, current school, or Camden SEN services if they believe their child requires this provision.
The school serves pupils aged 5 to 16. It does not have sixth form provision.
No. Admission is not based on geography but on clinical need and referral. The school primarily serves Camden residents, though pupils from neighbouring boroughs may be admitted through joint-funded arrangements.
The school supports children with complex medical conditions (including Type 1 diabetes, eating disorders) and mental health needs (including anxiety, school refusal, trauma-related conditions, emotionally-based school avoidance). It also supports pupils with learning difficulties, autism spectrum disorders, sensory impairments, and English as an additional language.
The school operates from two sites: ward teaching at Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, Hampstead, NW3 2QG, and alternative provision programmes at the Konstam Centre in Highgate. Both sites are in Camden, North London.
The school was rated Outstanding across all categories (overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management) in its October 2019 graded inspection. A monitoring visit in early 2025 noted curriculum development areas as the school adapts to changing pupil needs.
The school primarily serves Camden residents. Pupils from other boroughs may be admitted if a joint-funded placement is agreed between local authorities and clinical teams, but this is determined on a case-by-case basis through formal referral processes.
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