New Forest Small School Review 2026: Human-scale all-through education with a strong wellbeing focus

Small schools tend to promise close attention, but not many organise the whole experience around it. Here, mixed-age groupings, a deliberately paced day, and an outdoor strand are central rather than occasional. The timetable is designed around balance between indoor learning and time outside; lessons routinely extend into the garden and nearby forest, and the wider programme includes weekly yoga and structured forest walks.

Leadership is clearly defined. Alex James is the current Headteacher and also the Designated Safeguarding Lead, with the school stating he has worked here since 2010.

The school is independent and all-through, with nursery provision and a small overall roll. Families who want an alternative to large-form entry schools often shortlist settings like this for the level of individual knowledge staff can build over time.

The defining feature is scale. The school describes itself as human-scale, and that translates into day-to-day routines where pupils and students spend time in mixed-age groups, older children modelling how to be part of a calm, respectful learning culture. The most recent inspection text supports that picture, noting polite behaviour and that bullying incidents are rare.

There is also a clear civic element. A termly School Meeting, chaired by students, gives older pupils and students a formal forum to raise issues and make recommendations. The agenda is discussed and agreed by the group, which is an unusually explicit commitment to pupil voice for a small all-through setting.

The outdoors is not a marketing add-on. Gardening and practical growing are part of school life, and the school highlights direct access from the garden into the forest for walks, nature study, and outdoor play.

This is a setting where published benchmark data is limited and cohort sizes are small, so single-year figures can swing. The FindMySchool GCSE ranking places the school 3,496th in England for GCSE outcomes, and 1st locally within the Lyndhurst area. This positioning sits below England average overall, within the lower 40% band nationally, which is useful context for families comparing mainstream exam performance against alternative education priorities. (FindMySchool rankings are proprietary calculations based on official datasets.)

Looking at the GCSE indicators provided, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 39.2. EBacc-related measures are notably low, with 0% achieving grades 5 or above in EBacc subjects and an EBacc average point score of 2.81. For families who want a strongly academic, EBacc-heavy route, that is an important signal about curriculum choices and entries. For families prioritising a broader or more individual pathway, it may be less decisive.

A-level performance measures are not available for this school.

Teaching is designed to work in a small community. The latest inspection describes regular, detailed individual feedback that helps pupils understand how to improve, and reports that pupils make good progress from their starting points, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities who are closely monitored and supported.

Curriculum breadth is presented as a principle, with subject coverage across key stages and specialist spaces used when appropriate. The school day outline references use of a studio for art, a music room for GCSE music and instrumental work, and flexible use of studio and classrooms for science when more space is needed. Physical education uses the garden, the forest, and local sports facilities, including hired tennis courts for some GCSE PE elements.

A practical implication for parents is that the offer relies on the locality. This is not a self-contained campus model; it makes deliberate use of Lyndhurst-based community facilities as part of the learning week.

Because destination statistics are not published here (and no verified destination breakdown is available in the provided dataset), it is best to treat progression as individualised. The school operates through GCSE level, and the published age range suggests many students complete their key qualifications before moving on to sixth forms, colleges, or apprenticeships depending on fit and readiness.

For families evaluating post-16 certainty, the right question to ask is operational rather than aspirational: what proportion typically stays on past Year 11, what study programmes are offered post-16, and how careers guidance is delivered for the full range of routes.

Admissions are direct. The published procedure starts with an initial visit, then taster sessions aligned to the likely attendance pattern. If a place can be offered, families complete a registration form and pay a non-refundable registration fee of £150. A refundable deposit is also required, with deposit levels varying by stage.

For nursery age entry, the kindergarten information indicates that children can begin at the start of the term after they turn three, which provides clarity for families planning early years transitions.

There are no Local Authority coordinated deadlines presented for the independent route here. In practice, families should assume rolling consideration subject to space, and confirm availability well ahead of the intended start term. If you are comparing options, the FindMySchool Saved Schools shortlist tool is a sensible way to track visit notes, start-term options, and any deposit requirements side-by-side.

Wellbeing is not treated as separate from learning. The inspection identifies safeguarding as effective, and also highlights a distinctive core curriculum that includes weekly yoga for all and psychology for all secondary pupils.

Pastoral responsibilities are clearly allocated. The school states that the headteacher oversees pastoral care across the school, with named staff supporting different age phases, and it emphasises an open system where concerns can be raised and resolved quickly.

For children who have struggled in larger settings, the practical implication is that issues are more likely to be noticed early. For children who thrive on anonymity and wider social variety, the same closeness can feel intense.

Co-curricular life is developing, with the school noting a new studio space and access to local sports grounds in Wellands Road, Lyndhurst, as enabling more activity. Choir is a clear example of the school’s small-community approach, it is scheduled weekly at lunchtime and is open to pupils, staff, and parents.

Instrumental tuition is offered on a one-to-one basis for pupils aged six and above, with options including violin, piano, guitar, and vocals, and the school notes this carries an additional charge.

Trips and annual events are a major pillar. The school describes regular outings to local sites of natural and historical interest, seasonal end-of-term celebrations, and major productions in some years, including classic plays and original works. Examples shown include visits such as Stonehenge and a Roman villa at Rockbourne, alongside seasonal walks and community events.

A key implication is that enrichment is less about an extensive club menu and more about shared whole-school experiences and projects.

As an independent school, tuition fees apply. However, the current website pages available for parents set out deposits, registration fees, sibling discounts, and early years funding arrangements more clearly than they set out a full termly tuition schedule in-text. Published financial mechanics include:

• Registration fee of £150 (non-refundable).

• Refundable deposits that vary by stage, listed as £1,750 for Kindergarten and Classes 1 and 2, and £2,250 for Classes 3, 4 and 5.

• Sibling discounts of 10% for a second child, 15% for a third, and 20% for a fourth.

• Early years funded entitlement notes for eligible ages, with both universal and extended entitlement referenced.

For families budgeting precisely for 2025 to 2026, the most reliable next step is to request the current tuition schedule directly from the school and confirm what is included (for example lunches, trips, and any VAT treatment where applicable).

The school day runs from 9.30am to 3.30pm. The timetable description emphasises an initial orientation period, then hour-long lessons with outdoor learning built in, plus break periods given high priority for social development.

Wraparound care and transport arrangements are not set out in the publicly visible day-structure pages. Families who need breakfast or after-school care should ask directly what is currently available and how it operates across the different age groups.

• Exam profile versus ethos. The GCSE performance indicators and ranking sit below England average overall, and EBacc measures are very low. Families looking for a conventional exam-driven route should probe subject entry choices and expectations early.

• Co-curricular breadth. The latest inspection recommends expanding the range of co-curricular activities and strengthening careers guidance. This matters most for older students making post-16 choices.

• Reliance on community facilities. PE and some activities use local facilities rather than being fully on-site, which can be a positive link to the community but is operationally different from a fully self-contained campus model.

• Small-school intensity. High adult knowledge and mixed-age grouping can be excellent for confidence and belonging, but it will not suit every child, particularly those who want a larger peer group and more anonymity.

This is a distinctive all-through independent option for families who value human-scale education, a strong wellbeing thread, and outdoor learning integrated into the week. It suits children who benefit from close adult relationships, mixed-age social learning, and a calmer pace than large schools typically offer. The main decision is strategic: whether the school’s personal and pastoral priorities align with your expectations for a conventional exam pathway and breadth of post-14 options.