New Forest School in Fawley, run by New Forest Care, granted Ofsted permission to increase pupil numbers and teach them until they are 18

A “HIGHLY ambitious” special needs school has been given the green light to expand.

New Forest School in Fawley Road, which is run by New Forest Care Ltd, currently has 75 pupils aged between seven and 16. It can now teach up to 100 to the age of 18.

It was visited by Ofsted inspectors on 7th November to ensure it would meet the relevant independent school standards if the proposed changes were imposed.

A report by inspectors said: “The school is highly ambitious for its pupils.

“It recognises the vulnerabilities of some pupils who may not be emotionally or academically ready to leave school at the end of Key Stage 4 [and] there is a likelihood that some pupils may struggle to transition to a new further education provider.

“Therefore, the school is looking to continue its excellent curriculum offer to allow pupils to stay at New Forest for one or two more years.”

It added the school’s ”aspirational offer” will continue to best meet the targets in pupils’ individual education, health and care (EHC) plans so they might hit their academic and vocational qualifications.

It continued: “Some of the vocational curriculum, such as that for construction and for animal care and management, is of particularly high ambition and scope.”

Pupils will continue to access a range of therapies as part of their bespoke programme, as well as counselling where needed.

Headteacher Jean Gammon told the A&T: “I am immensely proud of the school’s development of facilities, together with the expertise and high quality programmes delivered by our staff team.

“Extending this to post-16 students means we can provide more valuable opportunities and further support students on their pathway to employment or further education.”

The school was rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted in September 2022.

At the time, inspectors praised teaching staff as “experts in their field” and said the school had recruited ”high-calibre staff who really know the subject-specific curriculum and what it takes for pupils to gain the qualifications they need”.

The changes to the school, which will see staff increase from 41 to 50, will be implemented from September 2024.