Shepherds Down Special School

Shepherds Down Special School continues to perform well, maintaining its status as a good school since its last inspection in 2017. The school provides a supportive and safe environment where pupils with a wide range of special educational needs and/or disabilities thrive. Staff are dedicated, showing a keen commitment to ensuring that every child feels welcomed and valued. The curriculum is broad and balanced, focusing on both academic and personal development, which is reflected in pupils' enthusiasm and engagement during lessons and activities.

Strengths

• Staff provide a warm and welcoming environment for pupils.
• The curriculum is well-designed and tailored to meet individual needs.
• Effective behaviour management strategies are in place.
• Parents express high levels of satisfaction with the school's support.
• Pupils enjoy active and engaging learning experiences, including outdoor activities.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils struggle with behaviour management due to specific needs.
• The newly introduced programme for managing feelings and behaviour is not yet consistently implemented across the school.

In 2024–25 pupils at Shepherds Down Special School attended 91.7% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 26.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 35.3%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Shepherds Down Special School were suspended at least once (nationally 5.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Shepherds Down Special School had 7.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.5%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26 Shepherds Down Special School had 198 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: specific learning difficulty; moderate learning difficulty; severe learning difficulty; profound and multiple learning difficulty; speech, language and communication needs; hearing impairment; vision impairment; multi-sensory impairment; physical disability; autistic spectrum disorder; other difficulty or disability.

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded special school schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Shepherds Down Special School received £25,377 and spent £24,738 for each of its 198 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £477,000 (£2,408 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Winchester · Hampshire local authority: places and applications

What is Shepherds Down Special School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Shepherds Down Special School is Good, from an inspection in April 2023.

When was Shepherds Down Special School last inspected by Ofsted?

Shepherds Down Special School was last inspected in April 2023.

How many pupils does Shepherds Down Special School have?

Shepherds Down Special School has 198 pupils on roll.

What age range does Shepherds Down Special School cover?

Shepherds Down Special School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Shepherds Down Special School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 0% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Shepherds Down Special School?

Shepherds Down Special School is at Shepherds Lane, Compton, Winchester, Hampshire, SO21 2AJ.