Millwood Primary Special School, Bury

Outstanding
Special
Community special school
Mixed
Ages 211

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Farzana Shah
Pupils:192 / 190 capacity
LA:Bury
Phone:01617242266
Address:School Street, Radcliffe, Bury, M26 3BW
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 3 years ago
-

Overall

Inspected 11 July 2023View full report
URN:105377
UKPRN:10077019
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Bury South
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Millwood Primary Special School creates a warm, welcoming 'Millwood family' where pupils thrive and make exceptional progress from their starting points. Staff genuinely care about each child, treating them with dignity and respect while maintaining high expectations. The school excels at preparing pupils for their next steps with personalised transition arrangements that reduce anxiety and build confidence.

Key Strengths

  • Exceptionally high standards of teaching with strong, respectful relationships between staff and pupils
  • Rigorous assessment systems using 'post-it' targets that track pupils' small steps of progress in detailed workbooks
  • Highly organised, diverse curriculum with thrilling enrichment days, educational visits and theme weeks
  • Excellent transition arrangements that support pupils moving to secondary school
  • Staff expertise being shared across mainstream schools through the 'Millwood project'

Areas for Improvement

  • Systems for supporting and challenging the work of teaching assistants need further development

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is effective - the leadership team ensures all arrangements are fit for purpose with meticulous records and regular staff training reinforced through notices and identification cards.

Extracurricular Activities

Football team, daily Millwood mile, eco club, prayer room reflection and prayer, sports activities, science enrichment days, educational visits, theme weeks

Millwood Primary Special School continues to be outstanding. The leadership team has maintained exceptional educational quality while successfully adapting to increased pupil numbers and more complex needs.

At a Glance

41.7%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, VI - Visual Impairment, OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, HI - Hearing Impairment

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
ReadingMathsWriting

Reading has remained stable at around 0%. Maths has remained stable at around 0%. Writing has remained stable at around 0%.

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Tube / Metro / Tram

Radcliffe (Manchester Metrolink) (Entrance)
921m · 15 min walk

Bus Stops

Turf Street (opp)
325m · 5 min walk
Ainsworth Road (nr)
328m · 5 min walk
Water Street (adj)
403m · 7 min walk
Blackburn Street (nr)
439m · 7 min walk
Lord Street (nr)
478m · 8 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

101%

Over capacity

192 pupils

190 capacity

2 places over capacity

Area Demand Pressure - Bury

High pressure
New homes approved:1,816
Projected new pupils:327

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Bury

Admissions Demand - Bury

Low demand0.95x oversubscription

Places available

2,453

Applications

2,319

Got 1st preference

89.8%

Got preferred school

97.2%

Secondary admissions across Bury (2025/26)

Inspection History(6)

11 July 2023
19 July 2017
20 February 2013
OutstandingReport
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding

House Prices

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

12.61991%

Overall absence

39.88095%

Persistent absence

168

Enrolments

Authorised10.37519%
Unauthorised2.24472%
Persistent (10%+)39.88095%
Severe (50%+)3.57143%

Absence trend

8.19098%
18/19
9.08205%
20/21
12.62805%
21/22
10.64839%
22/23
11.24831%
23/24
12.61991%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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