With a flexible approach to learning, we aim to support our students academic and social needs
Find out moreSouthlands School Environment
Southlands School is set in its own extensive grounds, which contain an outdoor swimming pool, an angling lake and hard-court surfaces for recreation.
The school site has nine separate family style homes, one within the main building and the remainder spread across the site. Decisions are made regarding which home accommodates young people depending on their age, social interactions, presenting difficulties and potentially their changing needs. The young people are also consulted on the matter. Both the residential accommodation and educational facilities are contained on one campus - within four acres of New Forest countryside.
There is a constant programme of refurbishment to ensure our accommodation provides a high quality caring and nurturing environment as close to a family situation as possible, which also aims to recognise the developmental needs of each individual within the group. All the residential accommodation has single occupancy bedrooms and some have en-suite facilities. Each living group benefits from communal lounges, bathrooms and kitchen areas. Most residential houses also have an alternative activity room to cater for more than one activity at a time. The Lodge is currently a house which is set apart from the rest of the accommodation, providing a more nurturing environment for those younger children who require such an approach, including its own garden and outdoor play equipment. Young people have input into the décor of their homes and bedrooms through weekly house meetings. Each residential home on site is allocated to just the residential young people, even though there are also day students on site during the school day.
Southlands School can currently accommodate up to 42 residential places. Southlands School is registered for ages between 7 and 19 years of age for mixed gender young people, up to 52 weeks of the year. Southlands offer a flexible package which can accommodate students on weekly boarding, monthly boarding and termly annual boarding dependent on need.
