School Chooser

Compass School

Pupil referral unit / alternative provision · ages 5-16MixedPupil referral unit40 pupilsSouthampton
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, June 2024
Pupils from low-income families68%Far more than most schools
Pupils per teacher5.3School workforce census
Pupils on roll40Census January 2026

Compass School is a pupil referral unit in Southampton for boys and girls aged 5 to 16. It has 40 pupils. About 68 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Green Lane, Millbrook, Southampton, SO16 9FQ023 8021 5320compass-school.netMs Debbie McKenzie headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 11 June 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes
Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
16 November 2022UngradedSchool remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Southampton council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll40Census January 2026
Pupils from low-income families68%68% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English13%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support68%27 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan33%13 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)58%£27,100 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls32 / 8
White British pupils73%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (26), Autistic spectrum disorder (10), language and communications needs (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll404765433539
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals68%87%80%79%83%85%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language13%13%9%14%6%3%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support79%80%54%49%72%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans21%20%47%51%28%

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 23 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training30%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers
Still in education, work or training30%47%47%
Education30%33%33%
Apprenticeship0%0%7%
Work0%13%7%
Not in education, work or training35%20%53%

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers18.6full-time equivalent, 19 people
Pupils per teacher5.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers84%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants13.8full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£41,312
Teachers who left in the year6%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.12024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£32,573England £7,738. Total £3.0m
Income per pupil£28,057England £7,697. Total £2.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£13,683England £3,480
Money in reserve-58%In the red: -£1.5m, -£16k per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£416kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£32,573spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m51712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate101 per 1,000 people11% higher than the England average
Typical house price£260,000Southampton
Nearest bus stop230 mGreen Lane, 12 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Oasis Academy Lord's HillAcademy80 m667Inadequate 20241Compare
Newlands Primary SchoolFoundation710 m420Good 202436Compare
Fairisle Infant and Nursery SchoolFoundation740 m324No overall grade 202515Compare
Fairisle Junior SchoolFoundation740 m375Good 202367Compare
Mansel Park Primary & Nursery School - Part of the Learning Federation Partnership of SchoolsCouncil840 m367Not inspected72Compare
Holy Family Catholic Primary School - Part of the Learning Federation Partnership of SchoolsRoman Catholic910 m412Not inspected67Compare
The Cedar SchoolCouncil0.6 miles86Good 2024Compare
Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery SchoolFoundation0.7 miles372No overall grade 20251Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Compass School a good school?

Compass School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in June 2024.

What is Compass School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Compass School good at its last full inspection on 11 June 2024.

How many pupils does Compass School have?

40 pupils aged 5 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Green Lane, Millbrook, Southampton, SO16 9FQ
Telephone
023 8021 5320
Website
www.compass-school.net
Headteacher
Ms Debbie McKenzie
Type of school
Pupil referral unit (Pupil referral unit, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Pupil referral unit / alternative provision, ages 5-16
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Southampton
Ward
Redbridge
Constituency
Southampton Test
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 April 2002
URN
133675 · LAESTAB 8521100 · UKPRN 10016587
Formerly
Aster House Pupil Referral Unit, The Compass Centre, Chestnut House Pupil Referral Unit

Where these figures come from