School Chooser

Brookhaven School

Special · ages 11-16MixedFree school74 pupilsBury
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Attendance74.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families31%A bit more than most schools
Places16 spare74 pupils, 90 places
Pupils per teacher6.7School workforce census
Pupils on roll74Census January 2026

Brookhaven School is a special free school in Bury for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 74 pupils and room for 90. About 31 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools.

Parr Lane, Bury, BL9 8LP0161 850 9196brookhavenschool.org.ukMr Jeremy Swinn headteacherAll details

Ofsted

Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet. That is normal for a school that opened in 2024: new schools usually get their first inspection within three years.

Getting a place

Open to all. There is no entrance test.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Bury council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll74Census January 2026
Places9082% full
Pupils from low-income families31%31% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%74 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)34%£27,500 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls47 / 27
White British pupils82%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, speech, language and communication.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Bury with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (48), language and communications needs (8), Moderate learning difficulty (5), Other difficulty or disability (5), emotional and mental health (5), Specific learning difficulty (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024
Pupils on roll74500
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals31%28%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%2%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 74.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance74.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school52.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils88.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission7.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/24England
Sessions missedOverall absence26.0%32.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence19.0%18.9%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence7.1%13.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence52.0%66.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate88.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers11.0full-time equivalent, 11 people
Pupils per teacher6.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers91%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants10.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£48,511
Teachers who left in the year11%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher7.02024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£26,580England £30,720. Total £1.3m
Income per pupil£38,240England £33,526. Total £1.9m
Spent on teachers per pupil£13,040England £11,966
Money in reserve43%A lot put by: £815k, £16k per pupil. England 16%
Money in against money out+£583kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£26,580spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Local crime rate0 per 1,000 people100% lower than the England average
Typical house price£248,905Bury
Nearest bus stop100 mUnsworth Academy, 14 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Unsworth AcademyAcademy70 m953Good 201959Compare
Bury and Whitefield Jewish Primary SchoolJewish260 m103Report card 202623Compare
Mersey Drive Community Primary SchoolCouncil550 m203Good 202436Compare
Unsworth Primary SchoolAcademy750 m232Good 202378Compare
Sunny Bank Primary SchoolAcademy950 m215Good 202392Compare
Hollins Grundy Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles211Good 202364Compare
All Saints Church of England Primary School, StandChurch of England0.7 miles208Good 202332Compare
Elms BankAcademy0.8 miles364Outstanding 2023Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Brookhaven School a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Brookhaven School yet.

How many pupils does Brookhaven School have?

74 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 90 places, so it is 82% full.

What is attendance like at Brookhaven School?

Pupils were in school 74.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 52% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Brookhaven School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, speech, language and communication. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Parr Lane, Bury, BL9 8LP
Telephone
0161 850 9196
Website
brookhavenschool.org.uk
Headteacher
Mr Jeremy Swinn
Type of school
Special free school (Free schools special, free schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 11-16
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Multi-academy trust
The Shaw Education Trust (31 schools)
Local authority
Bury
Ward
Unsworth
Constituency
Bury South
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 January 2024 (new provision)
URN
150236 · LAESTAB 3517000 · UKPRN 10093703

Where these figures come from