School Chooser

Oak Lodge School

Special · ages 11-16MixedCouncil173 pupilsSouthamptonHampshire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, March 2023
Strong pass in English and maths4%England 46%
Attendance88.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families48%Far more than most schools
Pupils per teacher5.9School workforce census
Pupils on roll173Census January 2026

Oak Lodge School is a council special school in Southampton for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 173 pupils. About 48 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 2023.

Roman Road, Dibden Purlieu, Southampton, SO45 4RQ023 8084 7213oaklodge.hants.sch.ukMr Kieron Hudson headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 9 March 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

26 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE score4.5
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths4%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths4%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-1.71In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2023/24, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 5.85.820182019: 4.94.920192022: 4.34.320222023: 7.17.120232024: 4.14.120242025: 4.54.52025
Since 2018: -1.3
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018HampshireEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11263832293122
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 84.54.17.14.34.95.845.246.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-1.71-1.56-2.30-1.68-1.73
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths4%0%3%0%0%0%44%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths4%0%6%0%0%5%65%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.150.240.480.030.240.353.984.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%0%0%32%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged2.24.63.44.75.06.2
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged6.53.810.03.94.85.7
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers2.84.23.94.33.1

Subjects

Results came out for 2 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.

Subjects that did worse than the England average: Art and Design (0% here, 58% across England).

What is taught here
SciencesBiology14

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
Art and Design16 entries
0%England 58%
Biology14 entries
7%England 82%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Art and Design160%0%13%58%
Biology140%7%7%82%

In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 3 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At GCSE, 2025

Average GCSE scoreLow-income pupils vs other pupils
2.26.5
Gap 4.3England 12.2
Strong pass in English and mathsLow-income pupils vs other pupils
0%7%
Gap 7 ptsEngland 22 pts
Average GCSE scoreBoys vs girls
3.37.3
Gap 4.0England 3.0
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

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 Hampshire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll173Census January 2026
Pupils from low-income families49%48% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English3%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%173 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)44%£82,500 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls122 / 51
White British pupils88%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, moderate learning difficulties.

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 Hampshire with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (100), Moderate learning difficulty (23), emotional and mental health (15), Severe learning difficulty (9), language and communications needs (9), Specific learning difficulty (5).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll173164158157156159
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals49%44%40%37%35%33%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language3%3%3%3%3%2%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 88.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance88.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school29.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils15.22024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission3.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence11.3%9.7%9.0%10.5%22.5%6.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence8.2%8.3%8.2%9.9%22.1%6.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence3.1%1.5%0.8%0.5%0.5%0.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence29.3%29.6%29.1%36.7%84.5%18.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate15.22.51.31.91.3
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 32 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training97%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training97%90%97%88%
Education97%90%91%88%
Apprenticeship0%0%3%0%
Work0%0%3%0%
Not in education, work or training0%7%3%8%

Staff and money

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

Teachers29.2full-time equivalent, 32 people
Pupils per teacher5.9Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers81%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants26.1full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,396
Teachers who left in the year7%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher10.22024/25

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.

Spend per pupil£22,808England £32,258. Total £3.7m
Income per pupil£22,447England £32,367. Total £3.7m
Spent on teachers per pupil£11,420England £11,930
Money in reserve30%A lot put by: £1.1m, £6,657 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out-£59kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£22,808spent 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 m14312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate52 per 1,000 people43% lower than the England average
Typical house price£382,750New Forest
Nearest bus stop100 mCollege Only, 7 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
Applemore CollegeFoundation110 m478No overall grade 202416Compare
Greenwood SchoolPupil referral unit330 m19Good 2022Compare
Noadswood SchoolAcademy990 m1,102Good 202230Compare
Orchard Junior SchoolCouncil0.8 miles355Report card 202630Compare
Orchard Infant SchoolAcademy0.8 miles270Outstanding 2022Compare
Dibden Park SchoolIndependent (grammar)0.9 miles54Not inspectedCompare
Bower Lodge SchoolIndependent0.9 miles38Not inspectedCompare
Wildground Infant SchoolCouncil1.1 miles185Good 202321Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Oak Lodge School a good school?

Oak Lodge School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in March 2023.

What is Oak Lodge School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Oak Lodge School good at its last full inspection on 9 March 2023.

How good are Oak Lodge School's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 4% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 4.5, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.

How many pupils does Oak Lodge School have?

173 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026.

What is attendance like at Oak Lodge School?

Pupils were in school 88.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 29% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Oak Lodge School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, moderate learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

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

Contact and details

Address
Roman Road, Dibden Purlieu, Southampton, SO45 4RQ
Telephone
023 8084 7213
Website
www.oaklodge.hants.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mr Kieron Hudson
Type of school
Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 11-16
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Hampshire
Ward
Dibden & Dibden Purlieu
Constituency
New Forest East
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
116637 · LAESTAB 8507070 · UKPRN 10016739

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from