Shepherds Down Special School
Shepherds Lane, Compton, Winchester, SO21 2AJ
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Community special school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Deborah Gooderham
- SEN provision
- SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Winchester
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Pupils on roll
- 198
- URN
- 116642
- Local authority
- Hampshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01962713445
About this school
Shepherds Down Special School is a community special school in Winchester. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 198 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Shepherds Down Special School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 22 February 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 25 | 24 | 26 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | - | - |
| Reading progress | -6.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -5.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -4.70 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Shepherds Down Special School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Hampshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 0% | 58.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 58.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 168 |
| 2023/24 | 172 |
| 2024/25 | 195 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 34.87%
- English as an additional language
- 10.8%
- Overall absence
- 8.34%
- Persistent absence
- 26.04%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Twyford School1.2 miles
Independent schools · Winchester
-
Lakeside School2.0 miles
Special schools · Eastleigh
-
Sherborne House School2.3 miles
Independent schools · Eastleigh
-
University of Winchester3.0 miles
Universities · Winchester
-
Winchester College3.0 miles
Independent schools · Winchester
Other schools in Winchester
- Osborne School Special schools
- Swanwick Lodge Other types
- Lanterns Nursery School and Extended Services Nursery
- All Saints Church of England Primary School Primary
- Barton Farm Primary Academy Primary
- Barton Stacey Church of England Primary School Primary
- Compton All Saints Church of England Primary School Primary
- Harestock Primary School Primary
- Itchen Abbas Primary School Primary
- John Keble Church of England Primary School Primary
- Kings Worthy Primary School Primary
- Micheldever CofE Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Shepherds Down Special School teach?
- Shepherds Down Special School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a special school in Winchester.
- Who is the headteacher of Shepherds Down Special School?
- The headteacher of Shepherds Down Special School is Mrs Deborah Gooderham, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Shepherds Down Special School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Shepherds Down Special School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Shepherds Down Special School?
- Shepherds Down Special School has 198 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Shepherds Down Special School a faith school?
- No. Shepherds Down Special School has no designated religious character.
- What SEN provision does Shepherds Down Special School have?
- The schools register lists Shepherds Down Special School's special educational needs provision as: SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Shepherds Down Special School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Shepherds Down Special School's absence rate?
- Shepherds Down Special School's overall absence rate is 8.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Shepherds Down Special School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Shepherds Down Special School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.