Heart of the Forest Community Special School, Coleford
Heart of the Forest Community Special School is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 19 in Coleford. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2012. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2012)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Heart of the Forest Community Special School in detail
What parents say
30 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Heart of the Forest Community Special School (as of September 2025): 93% would recommend the school, 90% say their child is happy there and 63% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (93%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (63%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 12 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 83% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 58% to a further education college.
Who goes there
51.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 7.5% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (80%) and Asian (6%).
Almost every pupil at Heart of the Forest Community Special School has an education, health and care plan (160 of 160 in 2026). The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Heart of the Forest Community Special School has a resourced provision for visual impairment, other difficulties or disabilities, speech, language and communication needs, autism, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 165 places, 165 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Dean Forest Railway, about 2.6 miles away in a straight line.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Speech House (by), 40 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Heart of the Forest Community Special School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Heart of the Forest Community Special School issued 2 suspensions, 1.4 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from September 2012, 14 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school creates a warm, welcoming environment where pupils feel safe and valued. Staff go above and beyond to support pupils' overall wellbeing and development, with excellent enrichment activities that build confidence and independence. The school has made significant improvements to communication with families and is committed to preparing pupils well for their future beyond school.
Key Strengths
- Warm and respectful relationships between pupils and staff with greatly improved communication with families
- Wide range of enrichment activities including dance, music, drama, Duke of Edinburgh awards and school trips that support personal development
- Effective identification of pupils' special educational needs and use of this information to set targets
- Strong focus on preparing pupils for adulthood through work experience and volunteering
- Effective support for pupils' mental and physical health with good attendance rates
Areas for Improvement
- Curriculum and communication strategies are not implemented consistently across all subjects, meaning some pupils do not secure new knowledge effectively
- Staff do not know the curriculum content and expectations sufficiently well in some areas
- Assessment information is not routinely used to adapt the curriculum to meet pupils' short-term targets
- Quality of education varies too much between subjects
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective and the school has robust systems in place to protect pupils.
Extracurricular Activities
Dance, music, drama, Duke of Edinburgh bronze and silver awards, school councillors, community walks, church services, work experience, volunteering, school trips
Heart of the Forest Community Special School serves pupils aged 4-19 with moderate to severe learning difficulties. The school has recently undergone significant leadership and staffing changes and is working to improve the quality of education across all subjects.
At a Glance
51.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Vision, Other, Speech and language +5
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
30 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Keep up with Heart of the Forest Community Special School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Heart of the Forest Community Special School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Heart of the Forest Community Special School is in Gloucestershire; for families living there:
Apply to Gloucestershire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 9
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 3 serious and 5 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
0 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 Gloucestershire is 5 (the median across 338 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
100%
Full
160 pupils
160 places
No spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Coleford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Coleford
Across Gloucestershire council
Places available
7,977
Applications
6,517
Got 1st preference
86.8%
Got preferred school
97.0%
All secondary applications across Gloucestershire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(6)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
160
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Heart of the Forest Community Special School has a resourced provision for visual impairment, other difficulties or disabilities, speech, language and communication needs, autism, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 165 places, 165 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
160
Total Pupils
107
Boys
53
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
20
Teachers
8.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,579
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
14.5%
Overall absence
41.2%
Persistent absence
131
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Heart of the Forest Community Special School
What are SATs results like at Heart of the Forest Community Special School?
Of the pupils at Heart of the Forest Community Special School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 0% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is Heart of the Forest Community Special School's Ofsted rating?
Heart of the Forest Community Special School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2012, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Heart of the Forest Community Special School?
No fixed boundary. When Heart of the Forest Community Special School is oversubscribed, Gloucestershire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Heart of the Forest Community Special School?
Heart of the Forest Community Special School has around 160 pupils on roll. 52% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Heart of the Forest Community Special School have specialist SEN provision?
Heart of the Forest Community Special School has a resourced provision for visual impairment, other difficulties or disabilities, speech, language and communication needs, autism, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 165 places, 165 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Heart of the Forest Community Special School?
14.5% of sessions were missed at Heart of the Forest Community Special School in 2024/25. 41.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Heart of the Forest Community Special School?
Apply through Gloucestershire's coordinated admissions process, naming Heart of the Forest Community Special 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 Heart of the Forest Community Special School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 3 serious and 5 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 0 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 Gloucestershire is 5 (the median across 338 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Heart of the Forest Community Special School?
Heart of the Forest Community Special School is at Speech House, Coleford, Gloucestershire, GL16 7EJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)