Hanford School A GSG School
- Hanford School
Child Okeford
Blandford Forum
Dorset
DT11 8HN - Head: Hilary Phillips
- T 01258 860219
- F 01258 861255
- E office@hanfordschool.co.uk
- W hanfordschool.co.uk
- An independent school for girls aged from 7 to 13.
- Read about the best schools in Dorset
- Boarding: Yes
- Local authority: Dorset
- Pupils: 83
- Religion: Church of England
- Fees: Day £19,500; Boarding £25,440 - £28,350 pa (last updated on 05/02/2024)
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
- Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report
- ISI report: View the ISI report
What The Good Schools Guide says..
The arts flourish at Hanford. We sat in on choir practice ready for open day: the three-part rendition of California Dreaming, with its seasonal words, would have made their – and visiting – mamas and papas proud. It would be tempting to think Hanford is all about ponies. Tempting but wrong: there is so much more to this school. All the subjects one might expect are on the curriculum including Latin, but not perhaps…
What the school says...
Hanford provides a perfect combination by giving its girls a secure academic framework and discipline, but also fostering their free spirits in a way which is rare in a world of increasing educational uniformity. If you want your child to have the opportunity to excel and to enjoy their childhood to the full, then come and pay us a visit. ...Read more
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Sports
Equestrian centre or equestrian team - school has own equestrian centre or an equestrian team.
What The Good Schools Guide says
Head
Since 2023, Mrs Hilary Phillips BA BEd, previously head of lower school and a sixth form housemistress at Benenden. Educated at Hereford Cathedral School and Exeter University, where she read French alongside education, Mrs Phillips’s career has taken in a spell teaching in Lisbon, as well as a range of independent schools the length and breadth of England and Wales. Her extensive experience of and belief in prep schools and girls’ education, a recent brief foray into a senior school and, not least, her grey mare Corrie led her perhaps inexorably to Hanford.
Extremely warm, jolly and game for a laugh – ‘zany’ said one mum – Mrs Phillips nonetheless knows exactly what she’s about and seems to be pulling off that difficult feat of sending girls off to the...
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Special Education Needs
At Hanford, having a specific learning difference is never considered a barrier to learning. We prioritise self-esteem and celebrate girls’ strengths in all areas of school life. As such, all staff are keenly aware of the challenges and possibilities that their subject area may offer and work in close communication with the Head of Learning Support to accommodate girls’ specific needs. Run by a full-time member of staff, the Learning Support department is high-profile and very much part of the mainstream curriculum. Both individual and small-group lessons are offered by a Level 7 qualified teacher, specialising in both literacy and mathematics. The girls receive at least two sessions a week, and we ensure that these lessons develop specific areas of need, but also align closely with the requirements of mainstream lessons. Girls with English as an Additional Language follow the Cambridge English curriculum and receive two lessons each week from a TEFL-qualified member of the English department. Our experience teaching girls with neuro-diversities allows us to cater for each girl on an individual basis. We call upon our wealth of knowledge but also seek advice from professionals and parents to create a secure and happy environment for each girl.
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Might cover/be referred to as;
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Aspergers, Autism, High functioning autism, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), PDA , Social skills, Sensory processing disorder |
Y |
| HI - Hearing Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Hearing Impairment, HI - Hearing Impairment |
|
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Learning needs, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty |
|
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, Sensory processing |
|
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
Downs Syndrome, Epilepsy, Genetic , OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, Tics, Tourettes |
|
| PD - Physical Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
PD - Physical Disability |
|
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, Global delay, Global developmental delay, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty |
|
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Might cover/be referred to as;
Anxiety , Complex needs, Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), Mental Health, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Trauma |
|
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
Might cover/be referred to as;
DLD - Developmental Language Disorder, Selective mutism, SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication |
|
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, Cerebral Palsy (CP) |
|
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Auditory Processing, DCD, Developmental Co-ordination Difficulties (DCD), Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Handwriting, Other specific learning difficulty, SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) |
Y |
| VI - Visual Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Special facilities for Visually Impaired, VI - Visual Impairment |
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