Lift New Forest
69%
Capacity
548
Pupils
1.4x
Demand
About Lift New Forest
Lift New Forest is a mixed state secondary school in the New Forest area of Hampshire, serving 548 pupils aged 11 to 18. Within the local authority, it ranks 7th out of 10 schools of its type, placing it in the bottom half of the local league table. Its Progress 8 score of -0.51 puts it well below the Hampshire average of -0.17, and the school sits at the 70th percentile among its LA peers. The top-performing schools in the same area include Sparsholt College Hampshire, Lift Winton, and Thornden School, all of which have significantly higher ranking scores. The school is led by headteacher Robert Forder and has no religious character. It operates below its capacity of 800, with 548 pupils currently enrolled, and a notably high proportion of students eligible for free school meals at 43.4 per cent, which is well above the national average.
Academically, Lift New Forest was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, a rating it has held consistently since its previous inspection in 2018. The inspection report awarded Good across all four graded categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. At Key Stage 4, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 40.6, and 55.8 per cent of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, though this drops to 34.5 per cent at grade 5 or above. The EBacc average point score is 3.44, with only 18.6 per cent of pupils entering the EBacc combination of subjects. Progress 8 scores are negative across all subject areas, with the weakest performance in the EBacc subjects at -0.71 and in maths at -0.52. The school has an official sixth form, but no separate exam data is available for that phase.
The school offers a broad range of facilities including a sports hall, swimming pool, library, science labs, ICT suite, art studios, astro turf, theatre, and a sixth form centre. Sports on offer include gymnastics, rowing, cricket, tennis, dance, rugby, and basketball, while extracurricular clubs cover drama, science club, debate, coding, choir, Model UN, film club, DofE, and Young Enterprise. Lift New Forest has a comprehensive set of SEND provisions, supporting students with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language difficulties, hearing and visual impairments, physical disabilities, and autistic spectrum disorder. The school was oversubscribed for 2025/26 entry, with 128 applications for 91 places and all 91 first-preference applicants receiving offers. This is a school that may suit families looking for strong SEND support and a wide range of activities, but who are aware that academic outcomes are below the local average.
Key Details
| School Type | Secondary (State) |
| Age Range | 11 to 18 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | None |
| Address | Long Lane, Southampton, New Forest, SO45 2PA |
| Headteacher | Robert Forder |
| Local Authority | Hampshire |
| Number of Pupils | 548 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 43.4% |
| School Capacity | 548 / 800 (69% full) |
| Sixth Form | Yes |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
27 Sept 2023Overall Effectiveness
Good
Source: Ofsted, 12 Nov 2023. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
League Table Position
Based on Progress 8 (-0.51)
2617th of 3,141
Nationally
376th of 461
In South East
7th of 10
In New Forest
Source: Classpot analysis of DfE Progress 8 data
GCSE Results
2023/24Progress 8 Score
Students make significantly less progress than similar students nationally
Attainment 8 (vs national avg)
Students achieve significantly higher grades than the national average
Source: Department for Education, 2023/24. Progress 8 compares to students with similar Key Stage 2 results.
Where GCSE leavers go
2022/231%
of GCSE leavers stay on for sixth form at this school (cohort: 97 pupils).
- FE college76%
- Not sustained11%
- Employment5%
- Sixth form college3%
- Apprenticeship3%
- School sixth form (stay)1%
89% of leavers had a sustained destination 6 months on.
Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance, KS4 pupil destinations 2022/23 (revised). Only state-funded schools are required to report.
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
9Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
16Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed91
128
Balanced
Applications roughly match available places
91 families put this school as their 1st choice (71% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
School day
Teaching hours
08:35 – 15:10
Source: newforestacademy.org. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.
Class profile
2024/25Better than 75% of schools in England.
Better than half of schools in England.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Among the highest-disadvantage schools.
Below most schools — predominantly English as first language.
Ethnic background
- White British92.9%
- Mixed2.3%
- White (other)1.6%
- Asian0.9%
- Black0.4%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/2575% of schools in England do better than this.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.
Permanent exclusion is rare — most schools have none in a given year.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
3
Total schools
3
Oversubscribed
2
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Lift New Forest
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
Understanding Progress 8
Learn how Progress 8 measures pupil progress from primary to GCSE
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
Understanding School Catchment Areas
How admission distances work and tips for maximising your choices
Contact Information
Long Lane, Southampton
New Forest, SO45 2PA
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
Opening Hours
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