The New Forest Academy Review 2026: A small Waterside secondary focused on calm routines, reading, and broad participation

A smaller-than-average secondary in Holbury, serving the Waterside area of Hampshire, this is a school that puts routine and belonging at the centre of day-to-day life. The school’s own language is practical and direct, with the New Forest Way, Be Kind, Show Determination, Make Good Choices, used as a shared reference point rather than a slogan.

Leadership is clearly visible. Rob Forder is listed as Principal, supported by a vice principal, assistant principals (including the SENCO), and named heads of year, which tends to make communication and accountability easier for families to navigate.

Academically, GCSE outcomes sit below England average on several headline measures, including Progress 8. That reality shapes the best “fit” profile here, a school that can suit students who benefit from structure, strong behaviour expectations, and targeted support, especially where reading needs to be strengthened to unlock the wider curriculum.

Small schools can feel either constrained or close-knit; here, the intended direction is firmly towards a purposeful, inclusive ethos. The school emphasises a calm learning environment and consistent routines, with behaviour framed as a right to learn rather than a negotiable expectation. The behaviour page is explicit that where expectations are not met, the response should be both sanction and support, which matters for families weighing how a school handles repeated low-level disruption.

Formal inspection evidence aligns with that positioning. The September 2023 Ofsted inspection judged the school Good across all judgement areas, and described a small, friendly school with an inclusive and ambitious ethos, alongside orderly conduct and pupils reporting that they feel safe and happy.

The staffing structure also signals a focus on pastoral and inclusion: the SENCO sits within senior leadership, there is an Attendance and Welfare Officer, and heads of year are named, which usually supports earlier intervention when attendance, behaviour, or friendship issues start to drift.

The GCSE picture is mixed, with some measures clearly below England average. In the 2025 dataset, Attainment 8 is 38.5, while the EBacc average point score is 3.3. Progress 8 stands at -0.51, which indicates that, on average, students make less progress than similar pupils nationally from their starting points.

Rankings reinforce the same theme. Ranked 3,039th out of 3,895 in England for GCSE academic outcomes and 19th in Southampton for local secondary comparison (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), with an overall rank of 2,661st out of 3,688, performance sits below the national midpoint on this measure.

EBacc entry and success rates are also a useful signal for curriculum breadth. The percentage achieving grade 5 or above in EBacc is 8.3%, and the school's EBacc entry rate is 20.7%.

What this means in practice is that outcomes are likely to be strongest where the school’s routines, literacy focus, and subject planning translate into consistent day-to-day learning, especially for students who need explicit teaching and structured practice to build confidence.

Parents comparing local options should consider using the FindMySchool Local Hub comparison tool to view the same measures side-by-side across nearby schools, particularly Progress 8 and Attainment 8, which often differ substantially between schools serving similar communities.

Curriculum intent is described for calm, purposeful classrooms and a demanding, equitable curriculum that balances academic and creative elements. The school emphasises knowledge-led planning, deliberate practice, and literacy, oracy, and numeracy embedded across subjects, with a stated aim that students build subject expertise and cultural knowledge over time.

Reading is treated as a gateway skill rather than a “nice to have”. The school sets out a whole-school reading strategy that includes NGRT testing to identify weaker readers, Fresh Start phonics intervention where appropriate, and two platforms, Sparx Reader (as a whole-school approach) and Lexia PowerUp (as targeted support). Sparx Reader is used for weekly reading homework set and checked on a weekly cycle.

For families, the implication is clear. If your child’s progress is being held back by reading fluency or stamina, there is a defined framework in place that aims to identify gaps early and provide structured intervention, rather than leaving reading needs to be addressed informally.

Publicly available destination statistics are limited here, with no published Oxbridge or overall leavers progression figures in the available results. The school does, however, position careers education as a formal part of the offer, referencing the Gatsby Benchmarks and an annually reviewed careers programme, which typically translates into structured encounters with colleges, training providers, and employers across Years 8 to 13.

For sixth formers, the school explicitly promotes pathways to university, apprenticeships, or employment, and highlights financial support through the 16 to 19 bursary fund for eligible students, including support for travel, meals, and essential course costs.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Hampshire's local authority process, rather than applying directly to the school. For September 2027 entry, families should check Hampshire County Council's published timetable for the opening date, deadline and offer day rather than relying on previous September 2026 dates.

In-year applications are handled differently. Families apply through Hampshire County Council, with the application forwarded to the school, and the school indicates it aims to respond within 10 school days, no later than 15 school days.

Because distance-to-school allocation rules and local patterns can shift annually, families who are considering moving for a place should use the FindMySchool Map Search to check location details alongside Hampshire’s published admissions arrangements, and then verify the current year’s position via the local authority.

The strongest evidence for pastoral culture comes from how behaviour and safety are described. Behaviour expectations are explicit and detailed, covering punctuality, equipment, classroom focus, respectful conduct, and clear boundaries on devices during the day.

The personal development timetable also matters here. A school that can sustain a regular programme of structured clubs and support sessions is usually building safe spaces for students who need confidence and routine. Homework support appears multiple days per week, alongside clubs that suit different personalities, from Book Club and Comic Book Club to Creative Writing and Theatre.

Extracurricular life is more specific than many schools manage to publish. The personal development programme lists regular slots for Book Club, Comic Book Club, Creative Writing Club, Theatre Club, Dance Club, and Table Tennis Club, plus homework support and a range of sports clubs and fixtures across the week.

Sport has its own identity and incentives. The school has introduced sporting colours, with pupils awarded colours for taking part in fixtures across sports, and it also promotes inter-tutor competitions spanning football, cross country, basketball, rugby, and netball. That design rewards sustained participation, not just elite performance.

There is also evidence of enrichment beyond the site, such as a planned trip to watch a Premiership women’s rugby match at The Stoop. For students who are not naturally confident joiners, these structured, named activities often make it easier to try something new without it feeling socially risky.

The published school week totals 32.5 hours. The daily timetable shows registration from 08:35, five lessons, and an end-of-day finish at 15:10. Reception opening hours are listed as 08:30 to 16:30 Monday to Thursday, and 08:30 to 16:00 on Friday.

Breakfast club is available by booking, with payments handled through ParentPay, and the school describes a healthy breakfast offer designed to support readiness to learn.

Wraparound care information beyond breakfast club and the published co-curricular timetable is limited on the public pages; families who need later supervision should check current arrangements directly with the school.

• GCSE progress measures are a clear watch point. Progress 8 is -0.51, suggesting that many students do not make the progress they should from their starting points. Families should ask how subject leaders and tutors identify underperformance early and how intervention is targeted.

• A strong behaviour stance can feel supportive or strict, depending on the child. The school sets out very explicit expectations around punctuality, equipment, focus, and device use. This tends to suit students who benefit from clear boundaries, but may feel demanding for those who struggle with compliance unless support is well matched.

• Some “after school club” information is trust-level template content. The dedicated timetable of personal development activities is specific, but the separate after-school club page contains placeholder pricing and timings, so families should rely on the school’s current termly timetable rather than generic descriptions when planning childcare.

This is a school with a clear operational focus: calm routines, explicit behaviour expectations, and a serious attempt to improve literacy as the foundation for wider learning. GCSE outcomes and progress measures show that academic improvement remains a priority rather than a finished story.

Who it suits: students who respond well to structure, benefit from consistent routines, and will engage with targeted reading support and the published programme of clubs and sport. For families who value a smaller-school feel and clear expectations, it can be a practical and supportive option, provided you are comfortable probing how progress is tracked and accelerated.