The Toynbee School Review 2026: Inclusive Chandler’s Ford Secondary with a Strong Personal Development Thread

This is a large, mixed secondary where pastoral systems and personal development are treated as core, not decorative. The school’s own language centres on “Personal Best” and a culture of participation, with PROUD points feeding into a house system that runs throughout Years 7 to 11.

The latest Ofsted inspection (22 and 23 October 2024) was an ungraded visit that found the school had taken effective action to maintain standards, with safeguarding confirmed as effective.

For families with additional needs, a distinctive feature is the resourced provision for pupils with visual impairment, described as purpose-built and designed for mainstream inclusion alongside specialist teaching and habilitation support.

The tone set by leadership and staff is best described as steady, structured, and inclusive. Pupils are expected to aim high, but the mechanisms for doing so are practical rather than performative: a clear behaviour reset, consistent routines, and explicit support for pupils who need extra help with literacy or learning access.

The personal development model is unusually explicit. There is a published emphasis on British Values through curriculum and pupil leadership, with democratic representation (for example, pupil council and house captains), and a stated commitment to inclusion across faith, gender, disability, and sexuality. That framing matters to parents because it translates into day-to-day norms about belonging and respectful conduct, not simply an annual themed week.

A defining organisational feature is the four-house structure. Clarendon, Drummond, Solent, and Spitfire are not arbitrary names, they are tied to local geography and history, and they function as the main engine for participation and leadership opportunities. The house cup, half-termly events, and opportunities to run assemblies give pupils structured ways to develop confidence and responsibility over time.

The school’s origins also help explain its identity. The school history records the opening in September 1929, and the subsequent transitions that shaped it into a comprehensive with a strong sense of evolution and adaptation. Parents who care about continuity and local roots often value that kind of long view, especially in an area where patterns of demand and catchment can change over time.

This review uses FindMySchool rankings and outcome metrics for performance comparisons.

At GCSE level, the school is ranked 1501st in England and 4th in Eastleigh for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This places performance in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile), which is often what parents see when a school combines strong progress with a genuinely broad intake.

The attainment and progress measures reinforce that picture. An Attainment 8 score of 48.4 sits alongside a Progress 8 score of +0.2, indicating students make above-average progress from their starting points. The EBacc average point score is 4.45, suggesting that, where students take the EBacc suite, outcomes are generally secure.

A practical interpretation for families is that this is not a results-only institution, but neither is it complacent. A school can maintain an inclusive culture and still move outcomes forward, particularly when reading, teaching consistency, and behaviour routines are approached as whole-school priorities.

Parents comparing nearby options should use the FindMySchool Local Hub page to view GCSE outcomes side by side, and the Comparison Tool to keep like-for-like context across Eastleigh schools.

The curriculum intent is broad, with ambitious expectations from Year 7 onwards and a stated belief that all pupils can succeed. In strong lessons, teaching sequences new content appropriately, checks understanding routinely, and enables pupils to recall and apply learning with confidence. That matters most for pupils who are capable but need structure to thrive, because it reduces the risk of drifting in the middle years.

Two teaching priorities are especially visible in published materials.

First is literacy. The school has introduced a new reading strategy, including a tutor reading programme and targeted support for pupils who are not yet fluent readers. The direction of travel is positive, and the remaining challenge is pace, helping weaker readers catch up more quickly. For parents of children who have slipped behind in primary, that distinction is important. Targeted provision exists, but it is not a quick fix, and families should ask how progress is tracked term to term.

Second is consistency. The school acknowledges variation in how the curriculum is implemented in a small number of areas, with a stated focus on embedding teaching strategies more evenly across subjects. Families often experience this as the difference between a year group that feels predictably well-run and one where experiences vary by class. The school’s approach, ongoing staff training and agreed teaching principles, is the right lever, but it is worth probing at open events how leaders monitor and support consistency.

For pupils with additional needs, published information describes structured planning and classroom strategies, including personalised information plans for pupils on the SEN register, plus a homework club staffed by learning support assistants. For some families, that after-school support can be the difference between stress at home and a manageable routine.

Specialist inclusion: Visual Impairment Resource

A standout feature is the resourced provision for pupils with a primary need of visual impairment. The school describes a purpose-built centre (built in 1996) with specialist staffing, including a qualified teacher of visual impairment, trained staff, and a resident habilitation specialist providing mobility and orientation training alongside independent living skills. Pupils are described as fully included in mainstream lessons, supported by specialist technology (including assistive software, large print and braille resources, and tactile diagrams), with additional one-to-one curriculum elements such as braille, touch typing, and life skills.

The admissions policy also makes clear that there are additional places available across the school for this resourced provision, on top of the core Year 7 intake. That is important context for families considering specialist pathways within a mainstream setting.

With no sixth form, all students move on at 16. What matters most, therefore, is the strength of careers guidance and the extent to which pupils are prepared for the breadth of post-16 routes, including A-level study elsewhere, vocational programmes, and apprenticeships.

The latest inspection evidence points to careers education as a clear strength, with pupils benefiting from a wide range of partners and being well prepared for their next steps in education and training. For families, the practical implication is that the school treats post-16 planning as a structured process rather than a last-minute Year 11 scramble.

The school also provides targeted Year 11 academic support that aligns with those next steps. A published programme of Grade 7+ lectures and revision resources signals a school that expects a meaningful proportion of students to aim for the top end of GCSE grading, which in turn expands post-16 options.

Admissions are coordinated by Hampshire County Council, and the published admissions policy is clear on the operational details for September 2026 entry.

For Year 7 entry in September 2026, the deadline for applications is midnight on 31 October 2025, with offers issued on 2 March 2026. The published admission number for Year 7 is 210.

Oversubscription is handled through a standard, structured priority order that many parents will recognise. After pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, the policy prioritises looked after children, exceptional medical or social needs (with evidence requirements), children of qualifying staff, catchment children with siblings, other catchment children, out-of-catchment siblings, and then a linked primary pathway that includes named local junior and primary schools. Distance is measured by straight-line GIS mapping from the home address point to the school address point, with random allocation as the tie-breaker for equidistant applicants.

Open events follow a predictable annual rhythm rather than fixed published dates. The school describes an open evening in the early autumn, plus tours and open mornings across the year, with larger tours typically in late summer or early autumn. If you are applying for 2026 entry, treat that as a seasonal pattern and confirm specific dates directly with the school once they are published.

Families considering admission should use the FindMySchool Map Search to check location context carefully. Even where catchment priority applies, precise distance and applicant distribution can change outcomes year to year.

Pastoral culture appears to be one of the school’s anchors. The inspection report describes pupils feeling cared for and supported by pastoral and guidance staff, with high levels of respect and a sense of pride in an inclusive culture. In practical terms, that tends to show up in calmer corridors, more consistent classroom routines, and pupils having at least one adult who knows them well.

Behaviour management is treated as an operational priority. The school has reasserted high expectations, and the inspection evidence points to fewer serious incidents, effective staff responses, and low levels of bullying with pupils confident that issues will be addressed. For parents, this is a reassurance point, but also a prompt to ask how the school supports the small minority who struggle to meet expectations, because that group can drive disproportionate disruption if unmanaged.

Support for additional needs is multi-layered. There is a learning support department with structured interventions, including a homework club and study skills sessions, plus a structured transition programme from Year 6 that includes induction and targeted support. For pupils who find change difficult, the presence of explicit transition and after-school academic support is often the difference between an anxious start and a confident one.

Extracurricular life is organised in a way that makes participation realistic, with scheduled clubs and clear start times. The published clubs list includes Dungeons and Dragons, Robotics Club, Gardening Club, Creative Writing, History Club, Book Club, and structured academic support such as maths clinic and coursework drop-ins. For many pupils, those clubs serve two functions. They build friendship groups quickly in Year 7, and they provide an alternative route to confidence for pupils who are not defined by sport.

Music is similarly structured rather than ad hoc. The programme includes a Year 7 keyboard club, ensemble options such as Toynbee Band and Rock Band, and vocal pathways including a show chorus choir, an audition-only showcase choir, a soul band, and a boys’ choir. The implication for parents is that musical participation can be sustained across Years 7 to 11, and that there are clear progression routes from open access to higher commitment ensembles.

Personal development activity is also tied to wider opportunities, not only local trips. The enrichment information references educational visits to universities, museums, and theatres, plus international opportunities listed as planned. Families should still treat trips as a variable feature that depends on staffing, demand, and annual scheduling, but the intent is clear and consistent with the school’s broader emphasis on character development.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is another practical pillar. In an 11 to 16 school, it provides a structured framework for volunteering, physical activity, skills development, and expeditions, which can be valuable both for personal growth and for post-16 applications.

Finally, the school’s facilities are used actively, including by community groups. Published information references a floodlit 3G pitch, sports hall, theatre, dance studios, a multi-use games area, specialist rooms including food technology and woodwork, and the visual impairment centre. That breadth supports a school where extracurricular life can be varied even when budgets are tight, because facilities are already in place and scheduled for use.

This is a state school with no tuition fees.

The school day begins with tutor time at 08:30. Lessons run through to 15:00, with slightly different break and lesson structures for Years 7 and 8 compared with Years 9 to 11.

After-school activities commonly start at 15:00, including clubs and learning support homework provision.

Travel planning is supported through published guidance focused on safer routes, crossings, cycle routes, and bus stops, and the school promotes active travel and journey planning. For drivers, community use information indicates on-site parking is available, though families should expect peak-time pressure around the start and end of the day.

• No sixth form. All students leave at 16, so post-16 planning needs to start early. The careers programme appears well-developed, but families should still be proactive about deadlines and open events for local colleges and sixth forms.

• Teaching consistency remains a live improvement point. The curriculum is ambitious and well designed, but there is acknowledged variation in how consistently teaching strategies are embedded across subjects. This is worth exploring at open events, particularly for pupils who benefit from predictable structures.

• Reading catch-up is improving, not finished. The reading strategy and tutor reading programme are in place and making an impact, but the school is still developing approaches to accelerate progress for the weakest readers. Families of reluctant readers should ask how support is targeted and reviewed.

• Admissions can be complex for families outside catchment. The policy includes catchment priority, linked schools, and distance measurement rules. If you are relying on a particular criterion, make sure you understand it fully and keep evidence ready where required (for example, medical or social need).

A well-organised, inclusive 11 to 16 secondary with a clear ethos around Personal Best, structured personal development, and a tangible culture of participation through houses, PROUD points, and enrichment. Academic outcomes sit in line with the middle 35% of schools in England, supported by above-average progress and a curriculum that aims high.

Best suited to families seeking a mainstream secondary with strong pastoral systems, clear routines, and meaningful extracurricular options, including a specialist pathway for pupils with visual impairment. The main decision points are post-16 planning and, for some families, the need to understand admissions rules in detail.