Elms Bank, Bury
Elms Bank is a special school for pupils aged 11 to 19 in Bury, part of Oak Learning Partnership. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2023.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2023)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Elms Bank in detail
Elms Bank in its own words
In its own words: "Elms Bank is a vibrant and forward-thinking community secondary special school based in Bury, Greater Manchester. All our students have a Statement of Special Educational Needs. Our age-range is from 11 to 19."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, multi-sports, cooking and art.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Elms Bank are Brookhaven School (0.8 miles); Cloughside College (1.5 miles, Good); Millwood Primary Special School (1.9 miles, Outstanding); and Imagine Wellbeing Primary Ltd (2.1 miles).
Brookhaven SchoolCloughside CollegeMillwood Primary Special SchoolImagine Wellbeing Primary Ltd
The trust
Elms Bank is one of 9 schools run by Oak Learning Partnership, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 52 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 92% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 10% to a further education college.
Who goes there
53% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 20.6% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
Almost every pupil at Elms Bank has an education, health and care plan (364 of 364 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Elms Bank provides for pupils with visual impairment, other difficulties or disabilities, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Whitefield (Manchester Metrolink), about 820 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Selby Avenue (near), 300 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Elms Bank stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 3rd decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Elms Bank issued 28 suspensions, 8.1 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its September 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Sixth form.
At a Glance
53.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Vision, Other, Hearing +8
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Social & online
Keep up with Elms Bank
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Elms Bank from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Elms Bank is in Bury; for families living there:
Apply to Bury for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Bury is 10 (the median across 92 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
School Occupancy
165%
Over capacity
364 pupils
221 places
143 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Bury
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bury
Across Bury council
Places available
2,444
Applications
2,233
Got 1st preference
90.7%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All secondary applications across Bury council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
364
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Elms Bank provides for pupils with visual impairment, other difficulties or disabilities, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
364
Total Pupils
252
Boys
112
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
48
Teachers
7.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,885
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
11.7%
Overall absence
32.2%
Persistent absence
276
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Elms Bank
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Elms Bank
What are GCSE results like at Elms Bank?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Elms Bank achieved an Attainment 8 score of 1.9. 0% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Elms Bank's Ofsted rating?
Elms Bank was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2023.
What is the catchment area for Elms Bank?
No fixed boundary. When Elms Bank is oversubscribed, Bury allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Elms Bank?
Elms Bank has around 364 pupils on roll. 53% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Elms Bank have specialist SEN provision?
Elms Bank provides for pupils with visual impairment, other difficulties or disabilities, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
What is attendance like at Elms Bank?
11.7% of sessions were missed at Elms Bank in 2024/25. 32.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Elms Bank?
Apply through Bury's coordinated admissions process, naming Elms Bank 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 Elms Bank?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Bury is 10 (the median across 92 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Elms Bank?
Elms Bank is at Ripon Avenue, Whitefield, Bury, Lancashire, M45 8PJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)