Pinc College, Manchester
Pinc College is a special school for pupils aged 16 to 25 in Manchester. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Pinc College in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Pinc College are Manchester Hospital School (0.6 miles, Good); IncludEd Learning (0.9 miles, Good); SMS Changing Lives School (1.4 miles, Requires improvement, selective); and Digital Advantage (1.4 miles, Good).
Manchester Hospital SchoolIncludEd LearningSMS Changing Lives SchoolDigital Advantage
Who goes there
Pinc College 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 railway station is Manchester Oxford Road Rail Station, about 1010 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).
19 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is University Shopping Centre, 110 metres away.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport)
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
Pinc College specializes in supporting neurodiverse young people in inspiring, culturally-rich learning environments that help them build confidence and develop artistic skills. The college excels at understanding each student's unique needs and barriers to learning, then tailoring teaching and support to help them succeed. Students produce impressive artwork and develop important life and employment skills while studying in museums and cultural venues.
Key Strengths
- Staff are highly trained in supporting students with special educational needs and create individualized curriculums based on each student's interests and goals
- Students develop high-quality artistic work and can confidently explain their creative processes and artistic skills
- Teachers use questioning and feedback effectively to help students identify gaps in knowledge and improve their work
- College creates a supportive, respectful and nurturing environment that builds student confidence and self-esteem
- Leaders are ambitious and have recently introduced supported internships to help students gain paid employment
Areas for Improvement
- Achievement rates in creative subjects remain low, despite improvements following curriculum changes
- Quality of education is not yet consistently good across all 13 learning centres
- Attendance of some students is too low, preventing them from participating fully in their learning
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with students feeling safe and having clear access to support services.
Extracurricular Activities
Work experience, supported internships with local employers, exhibition curation, prestigious event organization, collaboration with artists and creators
Pinc College is an independent specialist college for neurodiverse young people aged 16-25 who have faced significant barriers to education. The college provides art and digital art curriculums in unique cultural settings across the North West, West Midlands, Yorkshire, and Cardiff.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Approved
Section 41
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Pinc College
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Pinc College from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Pinc College 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
- 52
- Fatal
- 3
- Serious
- 13
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 52 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 3 fatal, 13 serious and 36 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot.
18 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
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.
Inspection History(2)
Special educational needs provision
Pinc College 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: Get Information about Schools (GIAS), Department for Education.
Questions parents ask about Pinc College
What is Pinc College's Ofsted rating?
Pinc College was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2025.
What is the catchment area for Pinc College?
No fixed boundary. When Pinc College is oversubscribed, Manchester allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Does Pinc College have specialist SEN provision?
Pinc College 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 Pinc College?
Apply through Manchester's coordinated admissions process, naming Pinc 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 Pinc College?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 52 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 3 fatal, 13 serious and 36 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot. 18 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 Pinc College?
Pinc College is at Oxford Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M13 9PL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)