The Cedar School, Southampton
The Cedar School is a special school for pupils aged 2 to 16 in Southampton. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2024 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
Data last updated 1 Nov 2026
The Cedar School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to The Cedar School are Rosewood Free School (1.3 miles, Outstanding); GLADE School (2.1 miles, Good); Vermont School (2.1 miles, Requires improvement); and Bay Tree School (2.1 miles).
Rosewood Free SchoolGLADE SchoolVermont SchoolBay Tree School
Where pupils go next
Of the 7 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 29% to a further education college.
Who goes there
50% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 18.6% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
Almost every pupil at The Cedar School has an education, health and care plan (82 of 86 in 2026). The most common need among them is a physical disability.
The Cedar School provides for pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, visual impairment, other difficulties or disabilities, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Redbridge (Hants) Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bakers Drove (se-bound), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Cedar 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
The Cedar School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
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 agoThis judgement is from June 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
This is a very happy and positive school community. Both adults and pupils enjoy being here, and their smiles and upbeat attitudes convey this clearly. Because staff get to know the pupils so well, relationships are strong, and everyone feels safe and secure. There is a strong shared commitment to making sure pupils achieve everything they are capable of. This sense of aspiration, combined with a caring approach, means pupils develop high levels of confidence. Pupils of all ages proactively invite visitors to join in with their learning. The youngest children warmly invite everyone to join in with their song time, and older pupils eagerly share their learning about 'Romeo and Juliet'.
All pupils behave exceptionally well. They are active participants in their learning. This is because of the well-established routines and expectations, which are consistently followed by everyone. Pupils are polite to each other and to adults. External professionals, from health and therapy services, are regularly involved in classroom activities. They also share the same high expectations of the pupils they support. They work closely and effectively with school staff to deliver personalised care. Staff are focused on promoting independence at every opportunity, and pupils' opinions and preferences are listened to and acted upon.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school's curriculum is organised to meet the diverse range of needs of the pupils in the school. The learning provided includes age-appropriate, interesting and motivating experiences from which pupils successfully learn about the world around them. Pupils follow one of two curriculum pathways: 'Formal/Semi Formal' or 'Sensory/Pre-Formal'. Within the curriculum, pupils have individual learning targets, which are based on their education, health and care (EHC) plans outcomes. In lessons, these outcomes are broken down into smaller steps to ensure that pupils make progress towards meeting them. The school is currently implementing a new assessment system. Once this is fully embedded, leaders and staff expect to gain an improved overview of the progress pupils are making and where the curriculum on offer needs further refinement.
From Ofsted's January 2024 ungraded 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 Good at its June 2014 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
50.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SpLD, Vision, Other +9
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with The Cedar School
Nurseries
The nearest nurseries and pre-schools to The Cedar School, with their latest published grades:
- Horns Drove Community Childcare - Day nursery, 0.3 milesOfsted report card, 6 March 2026: Expected standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met
- Tiny Toes Day Nursery - Day nursery, 0.5 milesOfsted report card, 4 August 2026: Strong standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met
- Bright Horizons Southampton Nursling Day Nursery and Preschool - Day nursery, 0.5 milesOfsted report card, 27 July 2026: Expected standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met
- Explorers Day Nursery - Day nursery, 0.6 milesOfsted, 1 December 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Oasis Academy Lord's Hill Pre-School - Pre-school, 0.6 milesOfsted, 14 February 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Cedar School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Cedar 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
- 22
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 8
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 22 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 19 slight.
8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 4 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 are DfT estimates (severity adjustment). Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
96%
Near capacity
86 pupils
90 places
4 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
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(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
4
SEN Support
82
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
The Cedar School provides for pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, visual impairment, other difficulties or disabilities, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, 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
86
Total Pupils
49
Boys
37
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
17
Teachers
5.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,329
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
13.6%
Overall absence
42.4%
Persistent absence
85
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
The Cedar School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about The Cedar School
What are SATs results like at The Cedar School?
Of the pupils at The Cedar School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 0% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is The Cedar School's Ofsted rating?
The Cedar School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2024, was ungraded. At its last graded inspection, in June 2014, it was rated Good.
How many pupils go to The Cedar School?
The Cedar School has around 86 pupils on roll. 50% are eligible for free school meals.
Does The Cedar School have specialist SEN provision?
The Cedar School provides for pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, visual impairment, other difficulties or disabilities, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
What is attendance like at The Cedar School?
13.6% of sessions were missed at The Cedar School in 2024/25. 42.4% of pupils were persistently absent.
How many road collisions happen near The Cedar School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 22 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 19 slight. 8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 4 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 The Cedar School?
The Cedar School is at Redbridge Lane, Nursling, Southampton, Hampshire, SO16 0XN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)