Newlands School, Manchester
Newlands School is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Manchester. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Newlands School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Newlands School are Meade Hill School (2.1 miles); North Ridge High School (2.2 miles, Outstanding); Halcyon Way School (2.5 miles); and Kingfisher Special School (2.5 miles, Outstanding).
Meade Hill SchoolNorth Ridge High SchoolHalcyon Way SchoolKingfisher Special School
Who goes there
45.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 9.9% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (66%), Asian (15%) and Mixed (8%).
Almost every pupil at Newlands School has an education, health and care plan (131 of 131 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Newlands School provides for pupils with autism, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Mills Hill (Manchester) Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Newlands Primary School (outside), 40 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Newlands School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
Newlands School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
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; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from November 2014, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Some aspects are not as strong as at the last graded inspection.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Newlands creates a caring, inclusive community where all pupils feel valued and develop strong relationships with staff who know them well. The school excels at providing enriching experiences like theatre visits and museum trips that build confidence and independence. Staff work closely with specialists like speech and language therapists to meet each pupil's individual needs.
Key Strengths
- Warm, caring relationships between staff and pupils who feel valued and well-known by staff
- Strong provision for pupils' wider development including visits to theatres and museums, online safety education, and school council opportunities
- Effective identification of pupils' additional needs and strong partnerships with external agencies like speech and language therapy
- Good support for early reading skills including pre-reading development
- Pupils typically behave well and respond positively to staff guidance
Areas for Improvement
- Curriculum planning is incomplete - some staff lack clarity about what pupils should learn in each topic, affecting activity selection and lesson focus
- Inconsistency in how effectively staff re-engage pupils when they lose focus during lessons
- Governors' monitoring systems lack precision, limiting their ability to hold leaders fully accountable
- Staff workload remains high despite efforts to support staff during the period of change
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with staff providing good support and pupils understanding how to report concerns or worries.
Extracurricular Activities
Theatre visits, museum trips, residential activity centre visits for independence skills, school council, online safety education
Newlands School is a special school for pupils aged 3-11 with complex educational needs and disabilities. The school is undergoing significant curriculum changes to meet pupils' evolving needs, though these changes are still in early stages of development.
At a Glance
45.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Autism, Physical, MLD +2
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Newlands School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Newlands School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Newlands School is in Rochdale; for families living there:
- Rochdale's school travel policy: Home to School Transport Policy
- How to apply: Apply for school travel expenses
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 3 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
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 Rochdale is 10 (the median across 106 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
109%
Over capacity
131 pupils
120 places
11 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Manchester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Manchester
Across Rochdale council
Places available
3,030
Applications
2,860
Got 1st preference
86.8%
Got preferred school
97.0%
All secondary applications across Rochdale council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
131
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Newlands School provides for pupils with autism, 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
131
Total Pupils
92
Boys
39
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
15
Teachers
8.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,220
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.4%
Overall absence
24.6%
Persistent absence
118
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Linked Schools
Schools linked by geographic proximity
Questions parents ask about Newlands School
What are SATs results like at Newlands School?
Of the pupils at Newlands School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 0% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is Newlands School's Ofsted rating?
Newlands School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Newlands School?
No fixed boundary. When Newlands School is oversubscribed, Rochdale allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Newlands School?
Newlands School has around 131 pupils on roll. 46% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Newlands School have specialist SEN provision?
Newlands School provides for pupils with autism, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
What is attendance like at Newlands School?
8.4% of sessions were missed at Newlands School in 2024/25. 24.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Newlands School?
Apply through Rochdale's coordinated admissions process, naming Newlands School 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 Newlands School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 3 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 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 Rochdale is 10 (the median across 106 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Newlands School?
Newlands School is at Waverley Road, Middleton, Manchester, M24 6JG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)