We take an organised and systematic approach to phonics that emphasises on teaching pupils to understand words correctly and develop excellent reading abilities.
Find out moreAt Southlands School, we aim to provide consistent, diverse, fun and structured learning opportunities through a waking day curriculum, seven days a week.
Southlands School offers exceptional support and a personalised multi- disciplinary approach to education which enables us to, provide individualised learning and support for our young people.Working together we are empoweredto work with our young people to meet a wide range of complex needs, so that they are enabled to thrive and achieve greater independence.
The outstanding setting of Southlands, on a large site in the New Forest, enables us to offer a variety of opportunities to inspire and support our young people to develop strategies and increase their independence as they move towards adulthood.
Our teams work together in a holistic way across Education, Care and Clinical Well-Being to ensure best outcomes for our children.Our multi-disciplinary approached includes Speech and Language Therapy, Psychology, Occupational Therapy, Holistic Therapy, Physiotherapy and Behaviour Support. Much of this work is embedded/integrated into the curriculum and staff practice, with direct timetabled sessions where students have a specific identified need through assessments/ EHCP’s.
We understand that not all children/young people will learn new skills at the same pace. Our curriculum caters for students with a wide range of needs, regardless of the speed of their progress.
At Southlands School we have adapted the National Curriculum to meet the needs of our learners and ensure the children benefit from a broad and balanced curriculum offer throughout their time at Southlands School. To meet the needs of our learners the core curriculum across the school consists of English, Maths, Science, PSHRE, Social Thinking and Outdoor Learning. We are able to take a flexible approach and timetables are adapted to meet the needs of the individual learner, including sensory breaks and regulation activities.
Our curriculum offers a range of options in Years 9 to 11 that can lead to external accreditation and qualifications including AQA awards, Entry Level, Functional Skills, City and Guilds and GCSE qualifications. We use ASDAN to evidence Life Skills progress and students can gain a range of awards.
Staff seek to understand the children and to help them overcome the barriers that they face, rather than expecting them to change to fit a set model. This means that the children have bespoke plans to meet their specific needs and to develop their skills.
- Ofsted Care Report 2026
Meet Claire Bartlett, English Teacher at Cambian Southlands School. Claire shares her goal of every student leaving Southlands with an English qualification.
Consistent teaching takes place over a longer period than in mainstream day schools. Class groups are small, allowing for individual programmes of study. Alongside the formal curriculum, behaviour management strategies and the development of social skills are also an integral part of every lesson on the timetable.
Find out more about our Classrooms and Teaching spaces, Independent Life Skills and our Approach to Phonics below.
We work particularly closely with our sister CollegeCambian Wing College,in Bournemouth to support transition for the next stage of education in a specialist Post-16 setting, as well as other specialist settings and mainstream
colleges.