Special school in Manchester, Rochdale
Newlands School
Waverley Road, Middleton, Manchester, M24 6JG
Ofsted
Some aspects judged not as strong as at the last graded inspection, on 8 January 2025.
Inspections since September 2024 do not give an overall grade, so there is no one-word judgement to report. The full report sets out what inspectors found.
Exam results
Special schools serve pupils whose needs the standard measures were not designed to describe, so results are not shown or ranked here.
Pupils
- Pupils on roll
- 131
- Places
- 120
- How full
- Full — 131 pupils against 120 places
- Girls / boys
- 39 / 92
- Overall absence
- 8%
- Persistently absent
- 25%
England 5.8%
England 14.7% — pupils missing 10% or more of sessions
- Free school meals, last 6 years
- 45%
- English as an additional language
- 14%
- With an EHC plan
- 100%
- On SEN support
- 0%
England 25.7%
England 18.7%
England 3.5%
England 15%
The neighbourhood around the school
Census 2021 figures for Rochdale 021B, the statistical neighbourhood the school sits in — roughly 1,500 residents. It describes the area, not the pupils, who may travel in from further away.
- Adults with a degree
- 24%
- Adults with no qualifications
- 27%
- Households owning their home
- 33%
- Households in social housing
- 45%
- Households with no car
- 42%
- Adults economically inactive
- 44%
England 33.8%
England 18.3%
England 62.7%
England 17%
England 21.9%
England 39.9%
School details
- Type
- Community special school
- Phase
- Special
- Ages
- Ages 4–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- No
- Boarding
- Day school
- Headteacher
- Headteacher: Farzana Shah
- Local authority
- Rochdale
- Ward
- Hopwood Hall
- Constituency
- Heywood and Middleton North
- URN
- 135201
The unique reference number used in all official school data.
Nearest special schools
| School | Ofsted | Attainment 8 | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Ridge High SchoolCommunity special school | Outstanding 2024 | — | 2.2 mi |
| Chances MentoringOther independent special school | No grade | — | 2.5 mi |
| Path 4Other independent special school | No grade | — | 2.6 mi |
| EdStart Schools Oldham and RochdaleOther independent special school | No grade | — | 2.7 mi |
| Supreme Start LtdOther independent special school | No grade | — | 2.8 mi |
| Oak Haven SchoolCommunity special school | Requires improvement 2023 | — | 2.8 mi |
| SEE (Oldham)Other independent special school | No grade | — | 3.6 mi |
| RedwoodCommunity special school | Good 2022 | — | 3.8 mi |
Where these figures come from
- School details, address and pupil numbers — Get Information About Schools, the DfE register, as at 14 August 2026.
- Exam results — DfE performance tables, 2024/25.
- Free school meals, EAL and SEN — school census, 2024/25.
- Ofsted — Ofsted management information, latest inspections as at 30 June 2026.
- Neighbourhood figures — ONS Census 2021, lower layer super output area.
All published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. If something here looks wrong, the school's own website is the authority on admissions and open days.