About the School (Ethos and Aims)
The school 'believes that confidence and well-being are essential for pupils’ long-term success.' The school is 'rightly proud of the confident, well-rounded young people the pupils become.' Ofsted Report, June 2018
Founded in 1994 by Nicholas and Alison Alp, the New Forest Small School is a unique, human-scale school for children aged 3 to 16/17. Currently led by the headteacher Alex James (who has worked at the school since 2010), the school has around 20 staff members, including full time class teachers and part time specialist teachers. We are situated in the heart of The New Forest, surrounded by open forest… ideal for walks, nature study and outdoor play.
We have six classes; a kindergarten, three primary classes and two secondary classes, which are limited to around 12 children to ensure that all pupils receive the attention and support necessary for their personal, social and academic development.
We have a school garden/playground, access to the forest from our garden gate and also make use of facilities in the local village for activities such as PE. We also have a vegetable garden where the children have been involved with sowing, growing, harvesting and (most importantly!) eating the produce. Children attend mostly on a full time basis, although some primary aged children may attend part time on a case by case basis.
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We have a progressive school ethos. One of the most important aspects of this is our human-scale environment, which helps in developing a wonderful sense of community within the school. It is also really important in helping children in the school grow to be considerate, kind, self-confident and expressive young people.
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We are non-selective and believe strongly in creating an educational environment which works for as wider range of children as possible. We value the diversity of our children, teachers and parents and celebrate the uniqueness of each of them. We recognise that children need different things and have different skills, interests and attributes. We aim to create an environment that is flexible and adaptive to these differences, rather than simply offering a one-size-fits-all approach.
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We are a secular school with no religious or ideological affiliations. We take a non-judgmental, critical view of religions, encouraging tolerance of all beliefs whilst promoting the importance of ‘thinking for yourself’. This attitude of tolerance is a very important part of the school culture and something which is perceptible when you visit the school. We work hard to create a school culture that challenges prejudice and celebrates diversity.
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The school aims to create an environment where children can grow socially, emotionally and academically. We also aim to foster an environment where children feel positively connected to a community that is bigger than themselves as individuals. We aim to help children discover who they are as human beings and what their passions are that will shape what they do later in life.
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'My three boys are in their third year at the New Forest Small School. The only thing they ever moan about is having to have weekends and holidays. They have such a fabulous time in the warm, caring and child-centered environment. It is a pleasure to drop them off each morning knowing how well they will be looked after – a rare thing these days.' Mrs AR (Salisbury)
