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Southlands School

At Southlands School, we aim to provide consistent, diverse, fun and structured learning opportunities through a waking day curriculum, seven days a week.

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Southlands School offers exceptional support and a personalised multi-Ìýdisciplinary approach to education which enables us to, provide individualisedÌýlearning and support for our young people.Working together we areÌýempoweredto work with our young people to meet a wide range of complexÌýneeds, so that they are enabled to thrive and achieve greater independence.


The outstanding setting of Southlands, on a large site in the New Forest,Ìýenables us to offer a variety of opportunities to inspire and support our youngÌýpeople to develop strategies and increase their independence as they moveÌýtowards adulthood.


Our teams work together in a holistic way across Education, Care and ClinicalÌýWell-Being to ensure best outcomes for our children.Our multi-disciplinaryÌýapproached includes Speech and Language Therapy, Psychology, OccupationalÌýTherapy, Holistic Therapy, Physiotherapy and Behaviour Support. Much of thisÌýwork is embedded/integrated into the curriculum and staff practice, with directÌýtimetabled sessions where students have a specific identified need throughÌýassessments/ EHCP’s.

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We understand that not all children/young people will learn new skills at theÌýsame pace. Our curriculum caters for students with a wide range of needs,Ìýregardless of the speed of their progress.


At Southlands School we have adapted the National Curriculum to meet theÌýneeds of our learners and ensure the children benefit from a broad andÌýbalanced curriculum offer throughout their time at Southlands School. To meetÌýthe needs of our learners the core curriculum across the school consists ofÌýEnglish,ÌýMaths, Science, PSHRE, Social Thinking and Outdoor Learning. We areÌýable to take a flexible approach and timetables are adapted to meet the needsÌýof the individual learner, including sensory breaks and regulation activities.

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Our curriculum offers a range of options in Years 9 to 11 that can lead toÌýexternal accreditation and qualifications including AQA awards, Entry Level,ÌýFunctional Skills, City and Guilds and GCSE qualifications. We use ASDAN toÌýevidence Life Skills progress and students can gain a range of awards.

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Staff seek to understand the children and to help them overcome the barriers that they face, rather than expecting them to change to fit a set model. This means that the children have bespoke plans to meet their specific needs and to develop their skills.

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- Ofsted Care Report 2026

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Meet Claire Bartlett, English Teacher at ÌÇÐĹÙÍø Southlands School. Claire shares her goal of every student leaving Southlands with an English qualification.

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Consistent teaching takes place over a longer period than in mainstream day schools. Class groups are small, allowing for individual programmes of study. Alongside the formal curriculum, behaviour management strategies and the development of social skills are also an integral part of every lesson on the timetable.

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Find out more about our Classrooms and Teaching spaces, Independent Life Skills and our Approach to Phonics below.

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We work particularly closely with our sister CollegeÌÇÐĹÙÍø Wing College,inÌýBournemouth to support transition for the next stage of education in aÌýspecialist Post-16 setting, as well as other specialist settings and mainstream
colleges.

"The school provides pupils with a highly engaging and enriching educational experience. Some pupils report that this is the first time they have had a positive experience in a school setting. The commitment to understanding the needs of pupils and providing an ambitious, individualised curriculum is central to the school’s success".

Ofsted Education Report, 2025

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Meet James Watson, Regional Care Lead covering ÌÇÐĹÙÍø Southlands School. JamesÌýJames explains how ÌÇÐĹÙÍø Southlands School supports young people to thrive to achieve their personal best in the video interview below:

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Qualifications we offer include:

✓ GCSEs

✓ ASDAN qualifications

✓ British Computing Society ECDL Level 2 GCSE Equivalent

✓ Level 3 Extended Project Qualification (A Level Equivalent)

✓ AQA Unit Awards

✓ Entry Level/Step Up to English

✓ Functional Skills

✓ Duke of Edinburgh's Award

✓ BTEC Levels 1 and 2 Home Cooking

✓ Sports Leaders Award

✓ British Safety Council

✓ Sailing RSA Certificate

✓ John Muir Award