Coxlease School

Inspection of Coxlease School Clay Hill, Lyndhurst, Hampshire SO43 7DE

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Outstanding Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at this friendly and welcoming school. They have often struggled at school in the past. The story here is different. Strong relationships with staff, clear routines and relentlessly high expectations help pupils feel happy and safe. Pupils enjoy and benefit highly from the school’s positive atmosphere of learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like to attend school. They arrive each morning with a spring in their step ready to learn. Maggie, the school’s therapy dog, is on hand to help pupils settle into the morning routines quickly. Echoing the sentiments of many pupils, one said to the lead inspector, ‘I love this school.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum is well matched to pupils’ needs. Staff carefully check what pupils know and can do when pupils first join the school. Education, therapy and pastoral care all come together to provide a high-quality package of support for pupils. As a result, pupils have highly positive attitudes towards learning and behave exceptionally well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The personal development programme prepares pupils for adulthood remarkably well. The opportunities for pupils are extensive. A comprehensive careers programme and a focus on life skills help pupils become well-rounded individuals, who are ready to take their place in the world.

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better?

Pupils receive a good quality of education at the school. They benefit from a rich, well-designed curriculum. The school thinks carefully about the content of each subject’s curriculum. What pupils learn is carefully broken down and taught in a logical sequence that helps to lodge new content in pupils’ memories. The educational offer, together with an exceptional personal development programme and bespoke therapies, helps to transform pupils’ lives. Pupils achieve qualifications that provide a helpful stepping stone to the next stage of education.

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better?

The curriculum in the sixth form enables students to follow highly personalised programmes that prioritise their interests and future aspirations. These programmes prepare sixth-form students exceptionally well for the future. As a result of the ambitious curriculum and excellent support students receive, students achieve highly in every way imaginable. This includes academically, socially and emotionally. Students achieve appropriate qualifications and are very well prepared for the next steps in their education, training or employment.

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better?

Pupils across the school learn effectively. Strong staff subject knowledge means that staff are skilled at asking pupils questions to check they understand what they are learning. Staff typically use this information to re-shape pupils’ learning appropriately. Pupils have a secure understanding of what they have learned previously. Overall, staff adapt learning activities well, which helps most pupils to 21 to 23 January 2025 grasp new concepts easily. However, some learning activities are not adapted as effectively as they could be.

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better?

Reading is a top priority. Pupils who are at the earlier stages of learning to read follow a carefully planned and sequenced phonics programme. Staff match the books pupils read to the sounds pupils have learned. As a result, pupils feel a sense of success and pride. Pupils use the phonics they learn to sound out and blend effectively. As pupils move through the school, they benefit from reading and writing support that enables them to read and write with fluency and a great deal of confidence. For example, pupils can impressively read parts of ‘Hamilton’ aloud in unison. The school is constantly finding ways to develop pupils’ appreciation of reading. The newly refurbished library offers several high-quality books pupils can choose from.

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better?

Pupils’ attendance is consistently strong. Staff act quickly if pupils do not attend school. Pupils’ attendance levels improve rapidly over time. Staff expectations are high. Pupils demonstrate exceedingly high levels of respect for staff, each other and visitors. Positive working relationships between staff and pupils create excellent conditions for learning. Information from the school’s checks on pupils’ physical, intellectual, emotional and social development is used well. Staff use this information to ensure that the support pupils receive in each of these areas meets pupils’ individual needs exceptionally well. As a result, pupils’ behaviour and attitudes are exceptional.

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better?

The personal development programme is exemplary. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is prioritised. The personal, social, health and economic curriculum ensures that pupils are taught about important issues well. For example, diversity, relationships and sex education. The active school council helps to make important decisions, such as suggesting changes to the school uniform or the school environment. The school prepares pupils exceptionally well for life in modern Britain. Pupils benefit greatly from a wide range of visits, including museums, theatres, stadiums and restaurants. Some pupils visit the gym regularly and enjoy swimming. The sports offer is extensive. Pupils are involved in sporting fixtures with other schools. At lunchtimes, several activities help to develop pupils’ social and communication skills. Older pupils lead some of these clubs.

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better?

Staff are proud to work at Coxlease School. They are positive about how the school and the wider organisation support their workload and well-being. They can see the difference this is making to the quality of education pupils receive.

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better?

The proprietor body is highly ambitious for its pupils. It is committed to providing the highest quality of education. Importantly, pupils sit at the very heart of its decision-making. The proprietor has several ways of checking that the school meets the independent school standards consistently well. This includes compliance with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010 and its safeguarding duties. 21 to 23 January 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 On occasion, the curriculum is not implemented effectively. As a result, pupils sometimes find learning tasks too difficult. This means that their knowledge is not as secure as it could be. The proprietor should ensure that staff have the skills they need to adapt the curriculum to meet pupils’ needs.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 21 to 23 January 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 116586 DfE registration number 850/6017

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School details

Inspection number 10342004 Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed

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form

Proprietor Aspris Children’s Services Limited

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form

Website www.aspriscs.co.uk/find-a- location/coxlease-school-hampshire Email address Coxleaseschool@aspriscs.co.uk

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form

Date of previous inspection 18 to 20 January 2022 21 to 23 January 2025

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Information about this school

 Coxlease School is situated in the New Forest and provides education for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, as well as other complex needs associated with autistic spectrum condition.  Since the last inspection, there have been several changes of leadership and governance. The headteacher took up his post in September 2024. The regional director, who is also the chair of governors, took up his post at the same time. The chair of the proprietor body has changed since the last inspection.  The school runs two off-site provisions. The Hub is for a small group of pupils who require outreach support and is located at Unit 2, Rushington Business Park, Rushington Court, Totton, Southampton, SO40 9NA. The Skills Centre is for sixth- form students and is located at Unit 9, Milton Business Centre, Wick Drive, New Milton, Hampshire, BH25 6RH.  The school uses two unregistered alternative provisions.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Information about this inspection

The school meets the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with senior leaders and staff, including the company’s regional director and operations director. The lead inspector spoke to the chair of the proprietor body by phone. He also met with a group of staff in addition to informal discussions held with staff throughout the inspection.  The inspection team carried out deep dives into these subjects: reading, mathematics, history and personal development. To do this, they met with curriculum leaders, looked at curriculum documents, had discussions with staff and pupils, visited lessons and looked at pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to pupils read.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single

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Information about this inspection

central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first. 21 to 23 January 2025  Inspectors talked to pupils about their learning and experiences at school. They observed pupils’ behaviour and attitudes through the school day.  The views of staff and parents were gathered through discussions and Ofsted’s online surveys.  The lead inspector toured the school sites to gather evidence about compliance with the standards. Inspectors also reviewed a range of other documents and policies, including on the school’s website. They scrutinised school records, including attendance and behaviour records.

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Inspection team

Shaun Jarvis, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Kate Fripp His Majesty’s Inspector 21 to 23 January 2025 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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