Heart of the Forest Community Special School is a council-run special school in Coleford, Gloucestershire, for children and young people aged 4 to 19. It supports vision, speech and language, autism and 4 other needs.
- Ages 4–19
- 160 pupils
School details
- Type
- Council special school
- Ages
- 4 to 19
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 160 (places for 145)
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lucyna Mansfield (Headteacher)
- Opened
- 1 September 2005
- Free school meals
- 53.3% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Gloucestershire
- School reference (URN)
- 134190
Needs it supports
8 needs: vision, speech and language and 6 more
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Communication and interaction
- Autism Other schools for this in Gloucestershire (12)
- Speech, language and communication Other schools for this in Gloucestershire (13)
Cognition and learning
- Moderate learning difficulty Other schools for this in Gloucestershire (8)
- Severe learning difficulty Other schools for this in Gloucestershire (5)
- Profound and multiple learning difficulties Other schools for this in Gloucestershire (5)
Sensory and physical
- Visual impairment Other schools for this in Gloucestershire (6)
- Physical disability Other schools for this in Gloucestershire (6)
It also lists other needs. Ask the school what these are.
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places at schools like this usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask questions
See whether the school feels right and whether it can meet your child’s needs. Our list of questions below can help.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Gloucestershire council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- Named in the plan
If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Free home-to-school transport is often part of the arrangement.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Graded by area, February 2025; school remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next (May 2023)
Inspected in February 2025. Inspections from September 2024 to November 2025 graded each area but gave no overall grade.
- Quality of educationRequires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementGood
- Sixth formRequires improvement
- SafeguardingEffective
Since then: School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next (ungraded inspection, May 2023).
Contact and getting there
Speech House, Coleford, GL16 7EJ
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
Email me these details
The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- Ruardean Church of England Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 4–11 · Ofsted: Good 3.6 miles
- The Dean Academy Mainstream + base · Ages 11–16 · Ofsted report card (2026) 5.6 miles
- Skylark Plus Limited Independent · Ages 16–25 7.5 miles
All SEND schools in Gloucestershire
By need in Gloucestershire: Speech and language (14) · Autism (13) · SEMH (10) · Moderate learning (9) · Vision (7) · Physical (7) · Severe learning (6) · PMLD (6) · Multi-sensory (4) · Dyslexia and SpLD (3) · Hearing (3)
Questions about Heart of the Forest Community Special School
How do I get a place at Heart of the Forest Community Special School?
There’s no catchment area or application round. Places usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult Heart of the Forest Community Special School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does Heart of the Forest Community Special School support?
Visual impairment, speech, language and communication, autism, physical disability, moderate learning difficulty, severe learning difficulty and profound and multiple learning difficulties. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Heart of the Forest Community Special School take?
Aged 4 to 19, boys and girls.
What is Heart of the Forest Community Special School’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2025 at its last graded inspection. Newer inspections no longer give a single overall grade, so read the latest report for the full picture.
Where is Heart of the Forest Community Special School?
Speech House, Coleford, GL16 7EJ, in Gloucestershire.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.