The Forest School, Knaresborough
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
The Forest School excels at supporting pupils' behaviour and emotional wellbeing, creating a calm and inclusive environment where all children feel valued and safe. Staff develop strong relationships with pupils and skilfully support them to manage challenges. The school provides rich personal development opportunities including horse riding, choir, farm visits, and real work experience that build confidence and prepare pupils for life after school.
Key Strengths
- Excellent behaviour support with highly effective strategies that help pupils regulate themselves and manage their own behaviour as they get older
- Outstanding personal development programme including leadership roles, diversity celebrations, and real-life career experiences
- Strong, inclusive curriculum carefully tailored to each pupil's individual needs with well-embedded communication strategies across the school
- Positive relationships between pupils and staff, with pupils showing exceptional attitudes to learning and enjoying coming to school
- Comprehensive preparation for adulthood starting from early years, including work experience and careers guidance
Areas for Improvement
- Reading skills beyond word reading need development - pupils are not given enough opportunities to re-read and practise, limiting their fluency and confidence
- Writing curriculum lacks sufficient focus on technical skills such as spelling, punctuation, grammar and handwriting
- Staff need further training and expertise to ensure all pupils develop necessary reading and writing skills across the curriculum
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong procedures in place to keep pupils safe and leaders who prioritise pupil welfare.
Extracurricular Activities
Horse riding, choir, farm visits, enrichment days, work experience, careers advice programme
The Forest School is a special school for pupils aged 2-16 with various learning needs and disabilities. The school has made significant progress since its last inspection and now provides good quality education with outstanding behaviour and attitudes.
At a Glance
40.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, VI - Visual Impairment, HI - Hearing Impairment, SLCN - Speech, language and Communication
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
41 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
2024/25 academic year
Class Sizes
0.0
Avg class size
0
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
Commute Calculator
Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply
What are my chances?
Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
122%
Over capacity
155 pupils
127 capacity
28 places over capacity
Area Demand Pressure - Knaresborough
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Knaresborough
Admissions Demand - North Yorkshire
Places available
7,139
Applications
5,644
Got 1st preference
92.6%
Got preferred school
98.7%
Secondary admissions across North Yorkshire (2025/26)
Inspection History(2)
House Prices
Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost
SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
Pupil Absence2024/25
10.25027%
Overall absence
29.05405%
Persistent absence
148
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Reviews
No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
The Forest School
Nearby Schools
Do you work at this school?
Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.