Heart of the Forest Community Special School
Heart of the Forest Community Special School is a council special school in Coleford for boys and girls aged 4 to 19. It has 160 pupils and every place is taken. About 53 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.
Speech House, Coleford, GL16 7EJ01594 822175heartoftheforestschool.co.ukMrs Lucyna Mansfield headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 25 February 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 24 May 2023 | Ungraded | School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next |
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
13 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
The government hasn't published this school's headline results. That usually means the year group was too small to publish without identifying children.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
11 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | Gloucestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 11 | 9 | 3 | 15 | 7 | 12 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 62% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 10% | 8% |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 0% | 0% | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 0% | 0% | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | 0% | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | – | -2.9 | -1.6 | -4.1 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | – | -3.0 | -3.6 | -5.0 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | – | – | – | 0% | – | – | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | – | – | – | 0% | – | – | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
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 Gloucestershire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, moderate learning difficulties, other needs, physical disability, profound and multiple learning difficulties, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, visual impairment.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Gloucestershire with autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (79), Specific learning difficulty (37), Autistic spectrum disorder (12), Physical disability (8), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (7), Moderate learning difficulty (6).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 160 | 143 | 131 | 128 | 124 | 108 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 52% | 47% | 39% | 43% | 35% | 26% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 8% | 4% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 4% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 85.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 14.5% | 13.6% | 16.7% | 14.0% | 19.1% | 11.9% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 12.5% | 11.3% | 13.3% | 13.6% | 19.1% | 11.2% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.0% | 2.3% | 3.4% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.8% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 41.2% | 48.0% | 49.6% | 45.7% | 64.4% | 26.7% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 9 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2019/20 leavers | 2018/19 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 67% | 92% | 100% | 100% |
| Education | 67% | 92% | 100% | 100% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
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
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St White's Primary School | Council | 2.3 miles | 245 | No overall grade 2024 | 73 | Compare |
| Coalway Primary School | Council | 2.3 miles | 193 | Good 2023 | 47 | Compare |
| Lydbrook Primary School | Council | 2.3 miles | 83 | Not inspected | 15 | Compare |
| Five Acres High School | Academy | 2.5 miles | 786 | Report card 2026 | 86 | Compare |
| Parkend Primary School | Council | 2.5 miles | 68 | Good 2024 | 35 | Compare |
| Berry Hill Primary School | Foundation | 2.6 miles | 201 | No overall grade 2025 | 24 | Compare |
| Soudley School | Council | 2.7 miles | 44 | Report card 2026 | 16 | Compare |
| Woodside Primary School | Council | 2.7 miles | 122 | Good 2023 | 36 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Heart of the Forest Community Special School a good school?
Heart of the Forest Community Special School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it not judged at its last inspection in February 2025.
What is Heart of the Forest Community Special School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Heart of the Forest Community Special School not judged at its last full inspection on 25 February 2025.
How good are Heart of the Forest Community Special School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.
How many pupils does Heart of the Forest Community Special School have?
160 pupils aged 4 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 160 places, so it is 100% full.
What is attendance like at Heart of the Forest Community Special School?
Pupils were in school 85.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 41% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Heart of the Forest Community Special School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for autism, moderate learning difficulties, other needs, physical disability, profound and multiple learning difficulties, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, visual impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does Heart of the Forest Community Special School have a sixth form?
Yes.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Speech House, Coleford, GL16 7EJ
- Telephone
- 01594 822175
- Website
- www.heartoftheforestschool.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lucyna Mansfield
- Type of school
- Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 4-19, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Local authority
- Gloucestershire
- Ward
- Bream
- Constituency
- Forest of Dean
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2005 (new provision)
- URN
- 134190 · LAESTAB 9167025 · UKPRN 10015775
- Formerly
- Dean Hall School, Oakdene School
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.