Hollywater School

Hollywater School is a special school where all pupils have an education, health and care plan, including many with autism and severe learning difficulties. Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils are happy, safe and well cared for. Attendance and behaviour and personal development and wellbeing are at the expected standard: pupils behave well, attendance is prioritised, and enrichment, careers and independence work are strong. This is set against significant recent changes in leadership and governance, with the headteacher appointed in April 2026 and leaders' improvement plans still at an early stage. The main concerns are in achievement, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and post-16, all of which need attention. Some pupils do not make the progress they could because teaching, adaptations and communication strategies are not consistently effective. Early years practice is variable, inclusion oversight is not yet coherent, and leaders do not systematically evaluate the impact of some work. Post-16 students have underachieved over time, although recent curriculum and teaching changes are beginning to address this. Leaders have an accurate understanding of what needs to improve and have taken appropriate actions, but these are not yet embedded. Governors' oversight has been limited by governance changes, and improvements have not always been swift. The school has a caring, inclusive culture and strong personal development, but it must now secure consistently high-quality teaching and provision across all year groups and pathways.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture and pupils feeling safe.
• Pupils behave well and classrooms are calm and purposeful.
• Attendance is prioritised, and leaders use tailored strategies to reduce barriers.
• Personal development and wellbeing provision is well thought out and comprehensive.
• Pupils develop independence, confidence, resilience and a sense of belonging.
• The careers programme is bespoke and includes work experience and community links.
• Pupils access a broad range of enrichment, including horse riding, outdoor activities and residential experiences.
• Pupils are happy, respectful and proud to be part of the school.
• Staff feel well supported and value professional development.
• Leaders have an accurate understanding of strengths and improvement priorities.
• Warm, nurturing relationships help children in early years settle quickly and feel secure.
• The post-16 curriculum has been strengthened to focus on life skills and adulthood.
• An inclusive culture supports pupils to settle, attend and engage.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' progress through curriculum subjects is inconsistent, and some do not build knowledge securely over time.
• Agreed strategies and adaptations are not used consistently well, creating barriers for some pupils.
• Teaching quality and high-quality interactions vary across year groups and classes.
• Communication strategies are available but not consistently used well, limiting access to the curriculum.
• Early years teaching is too variable, with adults not always modelling communication and learning precisely.
• Inclusion oversight is not coherent enough to identify needs accurately and evaluate impact.
• Leaders do not systematically evaluate the impact of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils.
• Leadership plans are purposeful but at an early stage of implementation.
• Governors' knowledge is limited, so oversight has been imprecise and improvement not swift enough.
• Post-16 students have not progressed as well as they could over time, and the impact of recent actions is not yet evident.
• Some curriculum subjects and pathways are better developed than others.
• Staff training to support effective use of communication strategies has not been embedded.

In 2024–25 pupils at Hollywater School attended 88.6% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 31.8% 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, 7.6% of pupils at Hollywater 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 Hollywater School had 6.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.5% 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 Hollywater School had 160 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; social, emotional and mental health; 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 Hollywater School received £32,148 and spent £30,504 for each of its 160 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £907,000 (£5,667 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 Bordon · Hampshire local authority: places and applications

What is Hollywater School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hollywater School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Hollywater School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hollywater School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Hollywater School have?

Hollywater School has 160 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hollywater School cover?

Hollywater School for pupils aged 4 to 19.

What are Hollywater School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Hollywater School?

Hollywater School is at Mill Chase Road, Bordon, Hampshire, GU35 0HA.