The Forum School, Blandford Forum
The Forum School is a special school for pupils aged 7 to 19 in Blandford Forum. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2024.
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Forum School in detail
The Forum 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
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at The Forum School has an education, health and care plan (31 of 31 in 2026).
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of The Forum School.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Poplar Hill (nw-bound), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 3 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, other theft and violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Dorset (25).
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
Sixth Form
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?
The quality of education pupils receive is improving steadily. However, the starting point for pupils' learning is not always accurately identified, this includes in the sixth form. This can lead to important curriculum content not being taught. Many pupils have gaps in their knowledge.
Pupils engage well with their learning when it is interesting and meets their special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff carefully plan personal development opportunities for pupils based on their talents and interests. For example, pupils can go horse riding or to the gym. Pupils enjoy outdoor education lessons where they learn how to care for animals and the importance of teamwork. Through these experiences, pupils learn to be active citizens in their school community. Work to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain is ongoing.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school's new leadership team are passionate and knowledgeable practitioners. They have accurately identified the school's strengths and weaknesses. Well-informed and decisive action has already resulted in positive changes for pupils and for staff. For example, all staff have completed training in teaching early reading. The school is focused on raising staff's expectations and pupils' outcomes. This work started with supporting staff to better meet pupils' needs through behaviour management training. They also, reviewed pupils' education, health and care (EHC) plans to set bespoke targets for each pupil.
Staff effectively help pupils understand their emotions and responses. Clear expectations for pupils' behaviour and appropriate staff actions are detailed in pupils' positive behaviour support plans. Pupils' plans are frequently reviewed and updated by the school's education, health and care staff. This team sometimes includes external professionals and parents. If staff are required to amend their practice, the school ensures that staff complete appropriate training. The school checks that the members of staff have implemented the changes successfully. The school's system for behaviour support has a positive impact on pupils' behaviour. The number of poor behaviour incidents has reduced significantly.
From Ofsted's October 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 Requires Improvement at its October 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Behaviour & attitudes.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Personal development (Requires Improvement), Leadership & management (Requires Improvement), Sixth form (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 1 nearby school
Keep up with The Forum School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 Dorset is 3 (the median across 184 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
47%
Available places
31 pupils
66 places
35 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Blandford Forum
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Blandford Forum
Across Dorset council
Places available
2,797
Applications
2,105
Got 1st preference
97.9%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All secondary applications across Dorset council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(12)
Independent School standard inspection
Met all the independent school standards.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
31
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
The Forum 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
31
Total Pupils
26
Boys
5
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about The Forum School
What is The Forum School's Ofsted rating?
The Forum School was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2024.
Does The Forum School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in October 2024, The Forum School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to The Forum School?
The Forum School has around 31 pupils on roll.
Does The Forum School have specialist SEN provision?
The Forum School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to The Forum School?
The Forum 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 The Forum School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 Dorset is 3 (the median across 184 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Forum School?
The Forum School is at Shillingstone, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 0QS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)