New Forest School is an independent special school in Hampshire for children and young people aged 7 to 18.
- Ages 7–18
- 110 pupils
- Ofsted: Outstanding
School details
- Type
- Independent special school
- Ages
- 7 to 18
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 110 (places for 130)
- Headteacher
- Mr Duncan Smith
- Opened
- 15 August 2011
- Council
- Hampshire
- School reference (URN)
- 137279
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 Hampshire council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- An offer, and the council’s agreement
As an independent school not approved under Section 41, it doesn’t have to accept a place: the school has to offer one, and the council has to agree to name it in the plan.
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
Rated Outstanding, July 2025
Rated Outstanding at its last graded inspection, in July 2025.
- Quality of educationOutstanding
- Behaviour and attitudesOutstanding
- Personal developmentOutstanding
- Leadership and managementOutstanding
- SafeguardingEffective
Independent school standards: all standards met.
Contact and getting there
Fawley Road, Fawley, Hampshire, SO45 1FJ
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- Wildground Junior School Mainstream + base · Ages 7–11 · Ofsted: Good 2.9 miles
- Wildground Infant School Mainstream + base · Ages 2–7 · Ofsted: Good 2.9 miles
- Noadswood School Mainstream + base · Ages 11–16 · Ofsted: Good 3.5 miles
By need in Hampshire: Autism (35) · SEMH (25) · Moderate learning (25) · Speech and language (22) · Hearing (16) · Severe learning (13) · Physical (12) · PMLD (9) · Dyslexia and SpLD (9) · Vision (9) · Multi-sensory (5)
Questions about New Forest School
How do I get a place at New Forest 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 New Forest School. As an independent school not approved under Section 41, it has to offer a place and the council has to agree to name it.
What ages does New Forest School take?
Aged 7 to 18, boys and girls.
What is New Forest School’s Ofsted rating?
There’s no overall grade to show. Read the school’s latest inspection report on the Ofsted website.
Where is New Forest School?
Fawley Road, Fawley, Hampshire, SO45 1FJ, in Hampshire.
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.