Lift New Forest

Lift New Forest at a glance

Located in Southampton, Hampshire, Lift New Forest is a secondary school, classified by the DfE as a sponsor-led academy. The school educates roughly 548 pupils aged 11 to 16. Ofsted judged the school to be 'Good' at its most recent inspection. The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 38.5 — below the national average (national average: 46). Its Attainment 8 score has fallen by 2.1 points compared with the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of secondary schools nationally.

37% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, below the national average of about 45%. 59% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Getting a place is straightforward: for the September 2026 intake every family who made Lift New Forest their first choice was offered one of its 101 Year 7 places. After Year 11, 82% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 9.2%. There are about 15.2 pupils per teacher. The school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage: about 44% of pupils have been eligible for free school meals in the last six years, compared with roughly 24% nationally — useful context when reading the results above. When you visit, you might ask how the school stretches its higher-attaining pupils and supports those who need to catch up. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.