New Forest School, Hampshire
New Forest School is a special school for pupils aged 7 to 18 in Hampshire. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2025. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2026 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
New Forest School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to New Forest School are Oak Lodge School (4 miles, Good); King's Academy Lord Wilson (4.6 miles, Good); Dibden Park School (4.6 miles, selective); and Bower Lodge School (4.6 miles).
Oak Lodge SchoolKing's Academy Lord WilsonDibden Park SchoolBower Lodge School
What parents say
20 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about New Forest School (as of September 2025): 95% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (80%).
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at New Forest School has an education, health and care plan (110 of 110 in 2026).
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of New Forest School.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Infant School (opposite), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 48 crimes within a mile of the school, most often criminal damage and arson, violence and sexual offences and anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Hampshire (72).
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 3 months 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
Ofsted also found the school was not keeping to the terms of its registration (for example its age range or pupil numbers).
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's July 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
New Forest School excels at creating a safe, nurturing environment where pupils feel confident and ready to learn. The school employs experienced, well-qualified staff with high levels of supervision and access to specialist therapy services. Classroom spaces are large, well-equipped and supported by specialist rooms for subjects like music, art, science and computing.
Key Strengths
- Strong safeguarding culture with well-trained staff and secure systems to keep pupils safe
- Excellent supervision with high staff-to-pupil ratios (often exceeding the 2 adults to 4 pupils standard)
- Well-qualified leadership team with clear oversight of standards across all sites
- Comprehensive facilities including specialist learning rooms for music, computing, art, science and design technology
- Robust health and safety practices including fire safety compliance and detailed risk assessments
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective with a positive school culture, well-trained staff who understand their responsibilities, secure systems to record and escalate concerns, and pupils who feel happy, confident and safe.
New Forest School is a special school across 4 sites proposing to increase pupil numbers to 150 total (with class sizes capped at 4 pupils per group). The inspection found the school is likely to meet all relevant independent school standards if this material change is approved.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
20 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with New Forest School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 3 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
2 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
73%
Available places
110 pupils
150 places
40 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Hampshire
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Hampshire
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(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
110
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
New Forest 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
110
Total Pupils
87
Boys
23
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about New Forest School
What are GCSE results like at New Forest School?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for New Forest School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is New Forest School's Ofsted rating?
New Forest School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2026, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2025, it was rated Outstanding.
Does New Forest School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in July 2025, New Forest School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to New Forest School?
New Forest School has around 110 pupils on roll.
Does New Forest School have specialist SEN provision?
New Forest School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to New Forest School?
New Forest 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 New Forest School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 3 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 2 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 New Forest School?
New Forest School is at Fawley Road, Fawley, Hampshire, SO45 1FJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)