Wildern School, Southampton
Wildern School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Southampton, part of Raise Education Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2024. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 9th-highest of the 21 schools in Southampton with published results, and 1,755th of 3,298 across England. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Hampshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Wildern School in detail
Wildern School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Wildern is a special place where we believe that every moment of learning is an opportunity for growth and discovery. Despite our size, there is a great warmth here-a nurturing environment where every student is valued, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential. Our community is guided by six core attributes."
Coming up: an open evening on Friday 13 November 2026 and an open evening on Thursday 19 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Hampshire
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Wildern School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.4, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.6 in Hampshire and 47 across England.
43% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Hampshire and 47% in England.
That is down from 48.6 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.05: pupils made about average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 31.4, against 48.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 17.3 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 31 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and History.
Getting a place at Wildern School
For September 2026 entry, 266 families put Wildern School as their first choice and 592 named it as one of their preferences, for 292 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 5 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Wildern School are Deer Park School (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.3); Woodlands Community College (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 31.6); Oasis Academy Mayfield (2.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 38.3); and Oasis Academy Sholing (2.7 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 40.9).
Wildern School's 2026 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Deer Park SchoolWoodlands Community CollegeOasis Academy MayfieldOasis Academy Sholing
The trust
Wildern School is one of 3 schools run by Raise Education Trust, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 365 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 91% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 28% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.
Who goes there
6.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Hedge End Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Wildern School (nw-bound), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 119 crimes within a mile of the school, most often shoplifting, violence and sexual offences and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Hampshire (72), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Wildern School issued 622 suspensions, 34.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Wildern School are Shamblehurst Primary School (under 0.1 miles), Berrywood Primary School (0.4 miles), Freegrounds Infant School (0.5 miles) and Freegrounds Junior School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Shamblehurst Primary SchoolBerrywood Primary SchoolFreegrounds Infant SchoolFreegrounds Junior School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils are prepared well for life beyond school. They achieve well across a range of academic and vocational subjects. Alongside this, the school's 'education for life' programme gives pupils a firm understanding of tolerance and respect. Pupils are proud of how they have shaped this, such as through the diversity leaders group. This approach is matched by clear messages from staff about pupils' conduct and language.
The behaviour of most pupils is purposeful and considerate. When this is not the case, the school has effective systems to address this. If bullying or derogatory language occur, the school takes appropriate steps to prevent this from reoccurring. As a result, pupils feel confident that staff will help to resolve issues. As well as talking to staff directly, pupils use an online reporting platform to raise any concerns.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school's curriculum sets out pupils' learning in a clear sequence in each subject. Teachers understand what prior learning their pupils start with, so they set tasks that build on this. In geography, for example, teachers draw on pupils' knowledge of erosion in rivers to help them when learning about coasts. In key stage 4, teachers place a strong emphasis on helping pupils to develop and use subject vocabulary. This is less consistent across subjects at key stage 3.
In most lessons, teachers explain and model important concepts effectively. At times, however, these explanations are less clear, and this can result in pupils not developing their knowledge as strongly. By making well-timed checks for understanding, teachers know what adjustments to make as pupils' learning progresses. Again, in some instances where this checking process is not as established, gaps in pupils' learning can be missed.
From Ofsted's April 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 Good at its April 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
About
Wildern School is an 11–16 mixed secondary school with academy status in Hedge End, Hampshire, England. It was formerly a foundation school that was established in 1933 and became an academy in 2011.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
18.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around 0.05 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 48.1 to 45.4 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 46% to 43% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 45.4 | 42.7% |
| Disadvantaged(69) | - | 31.4 | 20.3% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(299) | - | 48.7 | 47.8% |
| Boys(191) | - | 43.8 | 37.7% |
| Girls(177) | - | 47.3 | 48% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(21) | - | 51.2 | 47.6% |
| Non mobile(362) | - | 46.0 | 43.4% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 11 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 365 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
1
Permanent exclusions
0.06%
Exclusion rate
622
Suspensions
34.56%
Suspension rate
184 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,800 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Wildern School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Wildern School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Wildern School is in Hampshire; for families living there:
Apply to Hampshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 21
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 21 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 20 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
4 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
Your chances of a place at Wildern School
Will you get a place at Wildern School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Wildern School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Wildern School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Wildern School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hampshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Wildern School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Hampshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
101%
Over capacity
1,802 pupils
1,800 places
2 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Southampton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Southampton
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.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
196
SEN Support
57
EHC Plans
15.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,674
Total Pupils
840
Boys
834
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
111
Teachers
15.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,963
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,582
Per pupil
£12448k
Total funding
£333k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.4%
Overall absence
21.2%
Persistent absence
1,834
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
Wildern School
Showing 10 of 11 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Wildern School
What are GCSE results like at Wildern School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Wildern School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 45.4. 43% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Wildern School's Ofsted rating?
Wildern School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in April 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2022 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Wildern School?
No fixed boundary. When Wildern School is oversubscribed, Hampshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Wildern School?
Wildern School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Wildern School?
Classes at Wildern School average 24.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Wildern School?
Wildern School has around 1674 pupils on roll. 19% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Wildern School?
8.4% of sessions were missed at Wildern School in 2024/25. 21.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Wildern School?
Apply through Hampshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Wildern School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Wildern School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 21 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 20 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 4 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 Wildern School?
Wildern School is at Wildern Lane, Hedge End, Southampton, Hampshire, SO30 4EJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)