Bridge College, Manchester
Bridge College is a special school for pupils aged 16 to 25 in Manchester. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2023 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Bridge College in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Bridge College are Rodney House School (1 mile, Outstanding); Orchard House Specialist High School (1.5 miles); Manchester Hospital School (1.6 miles, Good); and Grange School (1.6 miles, Outstanding).
Rodney House SchoolOrchard House Specialist High SchoolManchester Hospital SchoolGrange School
Who goes there
Bridge College provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties. Bridge College is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Ashburys Rail Station, about 250 metres away (roughly a 3-minute walk).
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Alan Turing Way, 50 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Bridge College stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from September 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2013 inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
About
Bridge College is a specialist college in Manchester, England, for students aged 16–25 with disabilities, complex needs and autism. It is on the Openshaw campus of The Manchester College.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Speech and language, MLD, SLD +1
SEN Provision
Approved
Section 41
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Bridge College
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Bridge College from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Bridge College is in Manchester; for families living there:
Apply to Manchester for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 26
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 9
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 9 serious and 16 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
4 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Manchester is 22 (the median across 222 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
Area Demand Pressure - Manchester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Manchester
Across Manchester council
Places available
7,220
Applications
6,542
Got 1st preference
77.1%
Got preferred school
94.7%
All secondary applications across Manchester council (2026/27), not just this school.
Special educational needs provision
Bridge College provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Bridge College is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Source: Get Information about Schools (GIAS), Department for Education.
Questions parents ask about Bridge College
What is Bridge College's Ofsted rating?
Bridge College's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Bridge College?
No fixed boundary. When Bridge College is oversubscribed, Manchester allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Does Bridge College have specialist SEN provision?
Bridge College provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties. Bridge College is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
How do I apply to Bridge College?
Apply through Manchester's coordinated admissions process, naming Bridge College on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Bridge College?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 9 serious and 16 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 4 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Manchester is 22 (the median across 222 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Bridge College?
Bridge College is at Openshaw Campus, Whitworth Street, Manchester, M11 2GR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)