Orchard House Specialist High School, Manchester
Orchard House Specialist High School is a special school for pupils aged 11 to 19 in Manchester, part of Prospere Learning Trust.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Orchard House Specialist High School in detail
Orchard House Specialist High School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Orchard House High School. I am very pleased to introduce you to our warm and welcoming learning community, where every student is supported to achieve their very best. At Orchard House, we put families at the heart of everything we do."
Coming up: an open day on Thursday 17 December 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Manchester
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Orchard House Specialist High School are Beltane College (1.2 miles); Digital Advantage (1.3 miles, Good); Bridge College (1.5 miles, Good); and The Greens ENS (1.5 miles, Good).
Beltane CollegeDigital AdvantageBridge CollegeThe Greens ENS
The trust
Orchard House Specialist High School is one of 11 schools run by Prospere Learning Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
64.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 50% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Black (33%), Asian (21%) and White British (21%).
Almost every pupil at Orchard House Specialist High School has an education, health and care plan (48 of 48 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Monsall Station (Manchester Metrolink), about 860 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Vickers Street (near), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Orchard House Specialist High School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Sources: DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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
No inspection data available
At a Glance
64.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Latest from Orchard House Specialist High School
Celebration Assembly at Orchard House
14 Jul 2026
Sports Day at Orchard House
7 Jul 2026
Year 6 Transition Sessions
1 Jul 2026
Consultation
8 May 2026
Grand Opening at Orchard House High School
27 Mar 2026
World Book Day
6 Mar 2026
From Orchard House Specialist High School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Orchard House Specialist High School
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Orchard House Specialist High School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Orchard House Specialist High School is in Manchester; for families living there:
Apply to Manchester for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 23
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 8
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 23 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 15 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt.
3 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 Manchester is 22 (the median across 222 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
32%
Available places
48 pupils
150 places
102 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Manchester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Manchester
Across Manchester council
Places available
7,220
Applications
6,542
Got 1st preference
77.1%
Got preferred school
94.7%
All secondary applications across Manchester council (2026/27), not just this school.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
48
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
48
Total Pupils
35
Boys
13
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
6.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,113
Mean salary
2026 data
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Orchard House Specialist High School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Orchard House Specialist High School
What is the catchment area for Orchard House Specialist High School?
No fixed boundary. When Orchard House Specialist High School is oversubscribed, Manchester allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Orchard House Specialist High School?
Orchard House Specialist High School has around 48 pupils on roll. 65% are eligible for free school meals.
How do I apply to Orchard House Specialist High School?
Apply through Manchester's coordinated admissions process, naming Orchard House Specialist High 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 Orchard House Specialist High School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 23 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 15 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt. 3 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 Manchester is 22 (the median across 222 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Orchard House Specialist High School?
Orchard House Specialist High School is at 6 Sawley Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M40 8EZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)