The New Forest Small School

General 

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Pupils’ personal development is at the heart of the school. Everything that leaders do is based on this belief. Together with the staff, they have created a caring culture where pupils thrive.

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Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. Leaders provide a safe and happy environment. Pupils develop extremely positive attitudes to learning, to staff and to each other.

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The curriculum is very strong. Staff plan highly engaging activities that capture pupils’ interest. Pupils are skilfully taught knowledge and skills in a wide range of subjects. As a result, pupils enjoy learning and make sound progress.

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Leadership and Management

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Leaders believe that confidence and well-being are essential for pupils’ long-term success. Leaders are rightly proud of the confident, well-rounded young people the pupils become. 

 

The curriculum is carefully designed. It provides pupils with a breadth of knowledge and frequent opportunities to think for themselves. Leaders regularly review the curriculum to ensure that it is up to date and relevant. This can be seen in recent developments to reflect examination requirements and big issues, such as migration. Younger pupils develop a good understanding of the world around them from a wide range of activities that they enjoy. A bespoke curriculum is available for each pupil at secondary level. Extra activities, such as the performance of ‘Macbeth’ and the very effective use of the outdoor space, provide pupils with excellent opportunities to deepen their understanding. 

 

Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength of the school. 

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Quality of Teaching, Learning and Assessment

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Pupils do well in the school and thoroughly enjoy their lessons. They develop very positive attitudes to learning and many demonstrate a thirst for knowledge. Pupils relish the range of subjects that they cover and value their teachers. Pupils develop very powerful and positive relationships with staff. 

 

Staff make sure that lessons spark pupils’ interest. This ensures that most pupils are highly engaged in their learning. Teachers think carefully about the subject matter being covered and make sure that it is relevant to the pupils. 

 

The outside space is used very effectively as a learning space. Here, strong teaching and engaging activities provide pupils with a wide range of rich learning activities. A good example of this was the tree house building activity for primary pupils. This covered a wide range of science, Maths and English skills and delighted the pupils involved. 

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Pupils make very strong progress in subjects where teachers have high expectations of the pupils and make them think hard about their work. Teachers use their thorough subject knowledge to expertly question pupils, deepening pupils understanding of the subject being taught. For example, during the rehearsals for ‘Macbeth’, staff skillfully questioned pupils to draw out their knowledge. 

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Personal Development, Behaviour and Welfare

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The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. 

 

Pupils get great pleasure from being at school. They have excellent relationships with adults and each other. Pupils feel very safe and are well looked after; their personal development is given a high priority by all staff. This approach is fundamental to the character of the school. This was summed up by a member of staff who said, of leaders, that ‘the well-being of staff and pupils is their core philosophy’. 

 

Staff help pupils to develop their confidence and self-belief in a wide range of areas. 

 

Personal, social, health education lessons also provide excellent support for all pupils. One such lesson, covering cyber bullying, expertly engaged all pupils and helped them to deepen their understanding of this complicated issue. 

 

This school works hard to include everyone equally. Pupils have a very well-developed awareness of the importance of equality. They treat everyone with respect. One parent described the impact of the school’s approach to their child, who has anxiety and SEN. She said that her child is now happy and enjoys school after many negative experiences in other schools. 

 

The very rare cases of bullying are dealt with extremely effectively. The school promotes highly positive relationships between pupils. Staff seek out every opportunity to help pupils to understand how their actions can affect other people. This leads to a very positive environment where arguments and disagreements are rare. 

 

The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. 

 

Pupils behave well in and around the school, showing high levels of respect and care for adults and each other. Staff are proud to work here and are confident that children are safe. They all feel that pupils’ behaviour is exceptional, and that any issues are dealt with promptly and sensitively. 

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Outcomes for Pupils

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Most pupils leave the school with at least five strong GCSE examination results in a range of subjects. Outcomes are particularly strong in some subjects, including English, Psychology, Art and Geography. By the time they leave the school, almost all pupils achieve at least expected levels in English and mathematics. Consequently, pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their education. 

 

Pupils in the primary years develop a sound understanding of the range of subjects covered by the curriculum. They are skilled readers who enjoy reading a wide range of books. In some areas of learning, pupils develop knowledge and understanding that is well beyond the expected levels for their age. 

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Early Years Provision

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Children enjoy their learning and make good progress. Staff skilfully engage them in well-planned activities that gently stretch children’s learning. The combination of engaging activities and the highly supportive environment enables children to thrive. Most go on to become confident learners who enjoy challenging tasks. As a result, children start Year 1 with levels that are either in line with or higher than the national average.