Pupils are referred to the New Forest School by local authorities and may be admitted at times other than the start of a school year.

On initial assessment, pupils may join one of the four classrooms at our Fawley site.  Some pupils, with heightened anxieties may attend our Outdoor Learning Centre for an induction and integration period: the length of this stay will depend upon their needs and readiness for more formal classroom learning.

Transition at the end of Key Stage 2 offers four possible routes for our junior aged pupils.

• Remain at Fawley for the duration of Year 7
• Transition to Dibden
• Transition to Totton
• Transition to mainstream

At the end of key stage 2, we invite parents, carers and local authority representatives to a series of multidisciplinary team meetings to review each pupil’s academic progress, social communication and personal development. This review includes literacy and numeracy assessments from the curriculum and standardised tests in reading, spelling via our educational psychologist. Speech and language therapist conducts a social communication audit to produce and individual profiles. Using these assessments and teachers’ deep understanding of each pupil, a decision is made about their next stage.

Those pupils who stay on at Fawley require additional social support and ‘nurture’ in a familiar environment. All such pupils successfully transition to our secondary provision.

Dibden and Totton provide the same broad and relevant curriculum. The Totton environment provides well for pupils with greater sensory needs and high functioning autism whilst Dibden serves pupils with more heightened anxieties and high function autism.

Regular reviews enable pupils to transition to either site according to needs. End of key stage and intermediate reviews may also result in pupils returning to mainstream provision.