Forestwood School, Bury
Forestwood School is a special school for pupils aged 12 to 19 in Bury. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Forestwood School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Forestwood School are Mill School - Bury (under 0.1 miles, Good, selective); Imagine Wellbeing Primary Ltd (1.7 miles); Cambian Chesham House School (1.8 miles, Requires improvement); and Millwood Primary Special School (2 miles, Outstanding).
Mill School - BuryImagine Wellbeing Primary LtdCambian Chesham House SchoolMillwood Primary Special School
Who goes there
In 2026, 16 pupils (64%) received SEN support and 9 (36%) had an education, health and care plan.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Bury Interchange (Manchester Metrolink), about 1140 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ivy Road (opposite), 360 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Forestwood School stands in is among the 20% 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 · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Forestwood School excels at creating a supportive environment where pupils with mental health needs and other disabilities feel valued and safe. Staff are highly skilled at helping young people rebuild their confidence and engagement with learning. The school prepares pupils well for adulthood through practical life skills, paid work opportunities and comprehensive careers guidance.
Key Strengths
- Staff provide excellent care and support, helping pupils develop confidence and reconnect with learning
- Strong focus on reading, including phonics support, helping most pupils become confident and fluent readers
- Effective support for pupils' personal development, resilience and independence, with strong careers education
- Well-considered behaviour support that helps most pupils engage positively with their learning
- Ambitious curriculum with subject ambassadors supporting staff
Areas for Improvement
- Some curriculum areas lack clarity about the most important knowledge pupils should learn
- Staff sometimes design activities that don't help pupils develop sufficient depth of knowledge in certain subjects
- Pupils need better preparation for building on their knowledge securely in some subjects
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with clear processes in place to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Art projects, music, outdoor sensory space, paid roles as classroom assistants and librarians, cooking healthy meals
Forestwood School is a haven for its pupils with special educational needs who flourish because of the care, kindness and support from staff. The school has high expectations of pupils' achievement and helps them reconnect with education where they may have found learning difficult in the past.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Forestwood School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 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
57%
Available places
25 pupils
44 places
19 spare places
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(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
16
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Forestwood School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
25
Total Pupils
9
Boys
16
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Forestwood School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Forestwood School
What is Forestwood School's Ofsted rating?
Forestwood School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2025.
Does Forestwood School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in February 2025, Forestwood School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Forestwood School?
Forestwood School has around 25 pupils on roll.
Does Forestwood School have specialist SEN provision?
Forestwood School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Forestwood School?
Forestwood School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Forestwood School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 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 Forestwood School?
Forestwood School is at Buller Street, Bury, Lancashire, BL8 2BS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)