Future Finders Employability College, Oldham
Future Finders Employability College is a special school for pupils aged 19 to 25 in Oldham. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Future Finders Employability College in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Future Finders Employability College are The Springboard Project (under 0.1 miles, Good); Thornycroft School (0.6 miles); Path 4 (0.9 miles); and EdStart Schools Oldham and Rochdale (0.9 miles).
The Springboard ProjectThornycroft SchoolPath 4EdStart Schools Oldham and Rochdale
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Oldham King Street (Manchester Metrolink), about 140 metres away (roughly a 2-minute walk).
21 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Barn Street, 160 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Future Finders Employability College stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Sources: NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Source: Ofsted, further education and skills inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Future Finders creates an extremely positive and respectful culture where students feel heard and valued as adults. The college provides ambitious supported internships linked to real work placements that match students' aspirations and lead to paid employment or further education. Students benefit from enrichment activities including film club, Duke of Edinburgh's Award, sports and volunteer opportunities that build their confidence and independence.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding behaviour and attitudes from students who show respect, tolerance and professional conduct
- Outstanding personal development with students learning life skills, independence and leadership through the student parliament
- Ambitious and well-designed supported internships that prepare students effectively for employment with high-quality work placements
- Innovative teaching methods that develop literacy, reading, oracy and writing skills across the curriculum
- Specialist staff training in trauma-informed learning, mental health and autism to support students with complex needs
Areas for Improvement
- Staff need to use information from half-termly progress reviews more effectively to inform teaching in the next half term
- College needs to establish clearer records of which EHC plan outcomes students have already achieved at previous settings versus what they still need to achieve
- A few students still face barriers to social integration such as making friends at work
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Cinema visits, sports competitions, film club, Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme, walking and camping, gym and exercise sessions, student parliament activities, culture day, fundraising events, skills competitions, volunteering roles
Future Finders Employability College is a small specialist college in Oldham that provides education and support for students aged 19-25 with special educational needs and disabilities through supported internships. The college has improved significantly since its previous inspection and is now rated Good overall.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Future Finders Employability College
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Future Finders Employability College from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Future Finders Employability College is in Oldham; for families living there:
Apply to Oldham for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 70
- Fatal
- 2
- Serious
- 14
- Children hurt
- 16
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 70 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 14 serious and 54 slight.
16 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 3 on a bicycle and 9 in a vehicle or otherwise.
8 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 Oldham is 14 (the median across 129 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 - Oldham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Oldham
Across Oldham council
Places available
4,034
Applications
3,190
Got 1st preference
75.2%
Got preferred school
95.4%
All secondary applications across Oldham council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(4)
Special educational needs provision
Future Finders Employability College is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: Get Information about Schools (GIAS), Department for Education.
Questions parents ask about Future Finders Employability College
What is Future Finders Employability College's Ofsted rating?
Future Finders Employability College was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2025.
What is the catchment area for Future Finders Employability College?
No fixed boundary. When Future Finders Employability College is oversubscribed, Oldham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Does Future Finders Employability College have specialist SEN provision?
Future Finders Employability College is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Future Finders Employability College?
Apply through Oldham's coordinated admissions process, naming Future Finders Employability 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 Future Finders Employability College?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 70 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 14 serious and 54 slight. 16 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 3 on a bicycle and 9 in a vehicle or otherwise. 8 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 Oldham is 14 (the median across 129 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Future Finders Employability College?
Future Finders Employability College is at 77 Union Street, Oldham, Greater Manchester, OL1 1JZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)