Great Oaks School, Southampton
Great Oaks School is a special school for pupils aged 11 to 19 in Southampton, part of Specialist Schools Trust Ltd. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2023.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2023)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Great Oaks School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Great Oaks School are Vermont School (under 0.1 miles, Requires improvement); Vermont School (under 0.1 miles); Rosewood Free School (0.9 miles, Outstanding); and New Avenue School (1.5 miles, Good, selective).
Vermont SchoolVermont SchoolRosewood Free SchoolNew Avenue School
The trust
Great Oaks School is one of 2 schools run by Specialist Schools Trust Ltd, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 58 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 97% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 47% to a further education college.
Who goes there
67.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 21.7% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
Almost every pupil at Great Oaks School has an education, health and care plan (369 of 369 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Great Oaks School provides for pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, other difficulties or disabilities, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Swaythling Rail Station, about 1.5 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Great Oaks School (ne-bound), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Great Oaks School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 130 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Southampton (352).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Great Oaks School issued 33 suspensions, 9.4 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its November 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Sixth form.
At a Glance
67.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
SpLD, Other, Speech and language +6
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Great Oaks School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Great Oaks School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Great Oaks School is in Southampton; for families living there:
Apply to Southampton for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 30
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 30 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 23 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
7 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Southampton is 33 (the median across 87 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
132%
Over capacity
369 pupils
280 places
89 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Southampton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Southampton
Across Southampton council
Places available
2,620
Applications
2,668
Got 1st preference
83.4%
Got preferred school
93.4%
All secondary applications across Southampton council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(3)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
369
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Great Oaks School provides for pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, other difficulties or disabilities, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
369
Total Pupils
275
Boys
94
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
64
Teachers
5.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,542
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
10.5%
Overall absence
29.2%
Persistent absence
305
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Great Oaks School
Showing 10 of 13 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Great Oaks School
What are GCSE results like at Great Oaks School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Great Oaks School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 0.5. 0% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Great Oaks School's Ofsted rating?
Great Oaks School was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2013 it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Great Oaks School?
No fixed boundary. When Great Oaks School is oversubscribed, Southampton allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Great Oaks School?
Great Oaks School has around 369 pupils on roll. 67% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Great Oaks School have specialist SEN provision?
Great Oaks School provides for pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, other difficulties or disabilities, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
What is attendance like at Great Oaks School?
10.5% of sessions were missed at Great Oaks School in 2024/25. 29.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Great Oaks School?
Apply through Southampton's coordinated admissions process, naming Great Oaks School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Great Oaks School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 30 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 23 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 7 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Southampton is 33 (the median across 87 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Great Oaks School?
Great Oaks School is at Vermont Close, Off Winchester Road, Southampton, Hampshire, SO16 7LT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)