Mill School - Bury, Bury
Mill School - Bury is a special school for pupils aged 7 to 17 in Bury. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Mill School - Bury in detail
Mill School - Bury in its own words
Coming up: an admissions event on Tuesday 3 November 2026, an admissions event on Thursday 5 November 2026 and an admissions event on Friday 13 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Mill School - Bury are Forestwood School (under 0.1 miles, Good); Cambian Chesham House School (1.8 miles, Requires improvement); Imagine Wellbeing Primary Ltd (1.8 miles); and Millwood Primary Special School (2.1 miles, Outstanding).
Forestwood SchoolCambian Chesham House SchoolImagine Wellbeing Primary LtdMillwood Primary Special School
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Mill School - Bury has an education, health and care plan (65 of 65 in 2026).
Mill School - Bury 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 tram or metro stop is Bury Interchange (Manchester Metrolink), about 1050 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Stephen's Church (opposite), 320 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Mill School - Bury 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
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 April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Mill School excels at creating a caring, welcoming environment where pupils with autism and other complex needs thrive. The school combines excellent academic support - particularly in reading - with rich enrichment activities that boost confidence and resilience. Staff use their strong subject knowledge to check what pupils know and promptly address any gaps, while prioritising mental health and well-being to help pupils succeed.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on pupils' mental health and well-being, helping those who struggled with learning in the past
- Well-designed, ambitious curriculum with excellent reading support tailored to each pupil's needs
- Effective identification and support of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities
- Excellent enrichment through trips, sports, crafts, performances and Duke of Edinburgh's Award
- Caring, nurturing environment where pupils feel valued and respected
Areas for Improvement
- In a small number of subjects, the school has not clearly identified the most important knowledge pupils should learn, leaving staff unclear about what to teach
- Some learning activities do not help pupils build secure knowledge, preventing some from achieving as well as they could
- Need to better support staff in designing activities that prepare pupils well for each stage of education
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong oversight of safety and well-being, comprehensive policies on relationships and health education, and a culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports, crafts, school performances, museum trips, Durham residential trip, Duke of Edinburgh's Award, outdoor and adventurous activities, community charity work
Mill School - Bury is a special school for pupils with autism and social, emotional and mental health needs that has improved from 'Requires Improvement' to 'Good' overall. The school creates a nurturing environment where pupils are happy, behave well, and achieve in most areas.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Approved
Section 41
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Mill School - Bury
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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
72%
Available places
65 pupils
90 places
25 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(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
65
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Mill School - Bury 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: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
65
Total Pupils
48
Boys
17
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Mill School - Bury
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Mill School - Bury
What are GCSE results like at Mill School - Bury?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Mill School - Bury can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is Mill School - Bury's Ofsted rating?
Mill School - Bury was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in April 2025.
Does Mill School - Bury meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in April 2025, Mill School - Bury met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Mill School - Bury?
Mill School - Bury has around 65 pupils on roll.
Does Mill School - Bury have specialist SEN provision?
Mill School - Bury 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 Mill School - Bury?
Mill School - Bury 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 Mill School - Bury?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 Mill School - Bury?
Mill School - Bury is at Wellington Street, Bury, Bury, Greater Manchester, BL8 2BD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)