The Wymering School

The Wymering School is a special school for pupils with social, communication and interaction difficulties and high levels of anxiety, all of whom have an education, health and care plan. It joined the Southern Education Trust after the previous trust amalgamated with another. Inspectors judged attendance and behaviour, inclusion, and personal development and wellbeing as strong standard, while achievement, curriculum and teaching, and leadership and governance met the expected standard. Safeguarding standards were met. Leaders have created a highly inclusive, nurturing environment where pupils, many of whom arrive with very low attendance or a history of non-attendance, rapidly improve their attendance and re-engage with learning. Pupils are warm and respectful, behaviour is settled and purposeful, and staff build positive, trusting relationships. The personal development programme is rich and ambitious, and leaders use additional funding effectively to support disadvantaged pupils. Pupils benefit from a broad range of opportunities to prepare them for adulthood. There are no significant weaknesses, but leaders should continue to focus on improving the consistency of curriculum implementation across all subjects and on their identified priorities for development. The school has made strong progress since opening and is well supported by the trust.

Strengths

• Leaders prioritise attendance and successfully improve attendance for the vast majority of pupils rapidly.
• Pupils' behaviour is settled, purposeful and respectful across the school.
• The school has a highly inclusive culture where staff build positive, trusting relationships with pupils.
• Leaders are committed to improving opportunities for all pupils and give them hope for the future.
• High-quality training ensures inclusive practice is well embedded.
• Barriers to learning are quickly identified and effectively reduced.
• Additional funding is thoughtfully used to support disadvantaged pupils.
• The personal development programme is rich, ambitious and tailored to pupils' needs.
• Pupils develop secure knowledge about being healthy and staying safe.
• Pastoral support is highly effective in developing pupils' self-confidence and resilience.
• Pupils are well prepared for adulthood through careers fairs, travel training and college links.
• Pupils make progress from their starting points across the curriculum and in attendance, behaviour and wellbeing.
• More pupils are accessing examinations and results have improved.
• The curriculum is well sequenced with clear progression in writing, reading and mathematics.
• Leaders have a clear vision and high expectations, creating a strong sense of belonging.
• Staff feel very well supported with their workloads and wellbeing.
• Governance is effective, with a range of experience and expertise.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is not consistently well embedded across all subjects.
• Not all pupils develop the detailed knowledge and skills they need to consistently achieve well.

In 2024–25 pupils at The Wymering School attended 79.0% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 58.9% 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, 5.5% of pupils at The Wymering School were suspended at least once (nationally 5.1%). One pupil was 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 The Wymering School had 5.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.0% 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 The Wymering School had 77 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; social, emotional and mental health; speech, language and communication needs.

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 2024–25 The Wymering School received £66,661 and spent £64,860 for each of its 73 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £450,000 (£6,160 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Southern Education Trust, income was £12,981 and spending £13,303 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Portsmouth · Portsmouth local authority: places and applications

The Wymering School is part of Southern Education Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• The Harbour School Portsmouth
• Winton Primary School Bournemouth
• Parley First School Ferndown
• Ferndown First School Ferndown
• Ferndown Middle School Ferndown
• Broadstone Middle School Broadstone
• Broadstone First School Broadstone
• Harbour School Dorset
• Wyvern Academy Weymouth

What is The Wymering School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Wymering School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was The Wymering School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Wymering School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does The Wymering School have?

The Wymering School has 77 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Wymering School cover?

The Wymering School for pupils aged 9 to 16.

Where is The Wymering School?

The Wymering School is at Sevenoaks Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO6 3YB.