Ofsted rates New Forest School, with sites in Fawley, Dibden and Totton, 'outstanding' in all areas

A FAWLEY special school has been rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted inspectors who praised it for transforming the lives of its pupils.

New Forest School, which has its main site in Fawley and two others in Dibden and Totton, takes mainly autistic pupils with a range of complex needs.

Mark Fry, director for education at the New Forest Care group, which runs the school, said: “We are incredibly proud to have achieved outstanding in all areas of our recent Ofsted inspection.

“This absolutely reflects the compassion and dedication head teacher Duncan Smith and his team demonstrate every day, to ensure our students receive the best learning experience possible, to go on and achieve their full potential both personally and academically.”

Following an inspection last month, Ofsted judged the school to be ‘outstanding’ in all areas, saying pupils “flourish socially, academically and emotionally” due to the “excellent standard of education and nurture”.

“Pupils feel very safe and very rarely fall out with each other,” stated the report. “Incidents of bullying, prejudice or discrimination are unheard of.”

Leaders were said to have established a “highly effective” school that fits around the interests and learning needs of children who have often fallen behind academically and have missed out on many everyday school experiences.

The report said: “For instance, learning is delivered in a variety of spaces, such as the farm, the food technology room, the construction hub, the outdoor learning centre and vibrant classrooms.

“This means that, for the first time in their education, pupils engage wholeheartedly and benefit fully from all that the school has to offer.”

The curriculum was described as “aspirational”, and teachers were said to “check carefully” pupils’ learning progress.

“Consequently, pupils exceed expectations and achieve highly from their starting points,” said inspectors. “The curriculum helps pupils learn about the wide range of careers open to them in the future, with work experience opportunities of a high quality.

“Several pupils told inspectors that the school had ‘simply transformed their lives’.”

Relationships between staff and pupils were said to be “infused with humour”, and when pupils find it hard to maintain focus, they know to take time out and talk to an adult.

“As a result, there is rarely any disruption in lessons,” said the report.