Light Years School, Fareham
Light Years School is a special school for pupils aged 7 to 11 in Fareham. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2024)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Light Years School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Light Years School are St Francis Special School (0.8 miles, Good); Heathfield Special School (0.9 miles, Good); Kingsgate School (1.2 miles, Outstanding); and All's Well (1.8 miles).
St Francis Special SchoolHeathfield Special SchoolKingsgate SchoolAll's Well
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Light Years School has an education, health and care plan (34 of 34 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Fareham Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Tewkesbury Avenue (adjacent), 100 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Light Years School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils flourish at this school. They are extremely well supported by the caring and skilled staff. The mantra of 'start small, grow tall' permeates through every aspect of school life and sets pupils up for personal and academic success.
There are high expectations for pupils to engage with their learning and be kind and respectful to others. Pupils concentrate in their lessons, work hard, and take pride in their achievements. Those who need additional help with their learning, behaviour and emotional regulation receive it in a highly effective, yet unobtrusive way. This means that pupils do not have their learning disrupted by others and achieve very well academically.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Inclusion is at the heart of this school, where a multi-sensory teaching approach benefits all pupils. There is absolute precision in every decision made, with pupils supported in a highly personalised way.
The school's curriculum is highly ambitious and carefully shaped around pupils' needs and interests. A focus on holistic development does not detract from the broad and detailed subject curriculum that pupils experience. In every subject, there is clarity about what pupils need to learn. The school checks carefully how well pupils learn and make progress towards achieving their individual targets. As well as meeting pupils' social, emotional and mental health needs extremely well, there is a clear focus on the academic, which prepares pupils successfully for their secondary education, either in a mainstream or specialist setting.
From Ofsted's June 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its June 2024 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Light Years School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 16
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 11 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 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 Hampshire is 9 (the median across 617 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
85%
Available places
34 pupils
40 places
6 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Fareham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Fareham
Across Hampshire council
Places available
15,392
Applications
13,874
Got 1st preference
90.1%
Got preferred school
97.6%
All secondary applications across Hampshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
34
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Light Years School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
34
Total Pupils
26
Boys
8
Girls
2026 academic year
Questions parents ask about Light Years School
What is Light Years School's Ofsted rating?
Light Years School was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024.
Does Light Years School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in June 2024, Light Years School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Light Years School?
Light Years School has around 34 pupils on roll.
Does Light Years School have specialist SEN provision?
Light Years School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Light Years School?
Light Years School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Light Years School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 11 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 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 Hampshire is 9 (the median across 617 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Light Years School?
Light Years School is at Building A, Tewkesbury Avenue, Fareham, Hampshire, PO15 6LL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)