Southlands School, Lymington
Southlands School is a special school for pupils aged 7 to 19 in Lymington. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Southlands School in detail
Southlands School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, rugby, cricket, cooking, gardening, Duke of Edinburgh, forest school and cheerleading.
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Southlands School are Hill House School (0.8 miles, Outstanding); and East Street Farm (1.9 miles).
What parents say
19 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Southlands School (as of September 2025): 68% would recommend the school, 68% say their child is happy there and 50% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (95%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (47%).
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Southlands School has an education, health and care plan (50 of 51 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Lymington Town Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 26 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, other theft and public order offences. 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 · 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 Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Southlands School excels at understanding each child as an individual and creating a curriculum tailored to their specific needs. The school combines expert teaching with therapeutic support from a clinical well-being team, helping pupils - many of whom are experiencing school success for the first time - to achieve academically and build genuine confidence. Staff expertly model respect and kindness, creating an inclusive, calm environment where every pupil feels they belong and their efforts are genuinely valued.
Key Strengths
- Tailored, ambitious curriculum with strong focus on individual pupil needs and SEND support - combined therapeutic and academic approach leads to exceptional achievement
- Expert identification of gaps in learning with swift, targeted intervention to help pupils progress
- Highly effective behaviour management based on mutual respect, creating a calm, supportive atmosphere where pupils feel safe and valued
- Strong pastoral and personal development provision helping pupils build confidence and develop strategies to flourish
- Excellent extracurricular opportunities and trips linked to future career interests, ensuring all pupils can access enrichment
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff alert to vulnerabilities including online risks and swift action taken to support pupils and families.
Extracurricular Activities
Trips, visits, career-linked activities, school council, social thinking lessons, reward system for achievements
Southlands School is an outstanding independent special school for pupils aged 7-19 with autism and related needs. The school provides a highly engaging, individualised curriculum combined with therapeutic support that helps pupils achieve exceptional outcomes.
About
Southlands School is a specialist school and children's home, located in the parish of Boldre, near Lymington, Hampshire, England. Established in 1971, as an independent school, it currently operates under the Cambian Group.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
19 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 4 nearby schools
Keep up with Southlands School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
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
80%
Available places
51 pupils
64 places
13 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Lymington
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Lymington
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(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
1
SEN Support
50
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Southlands 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
51
Total Pupils
39
Boys
12
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Southlands School
What are GCSE results like at Southlands 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 Southlands School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is Southlands School's Ofsted rating?
Southlands School was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2025.
Does Southlands School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in February 2025, Southlands School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Southlands School?
Southlands School has around 51 pupils on roll.
Does Southlands School have specialist SEN provision?
Southlands School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Southlands School?
Southlands 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 Southlands School?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in Hampshire is 9 (the median across 617 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Southlands School?
Southlands School is at Vicars Hill, Boldre, Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 5QB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)