School Chooser

Heywood Academy

Special · ages 11-19MixedFree school21 pupilsSixth formRochdale
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Pupils from low-income families33%A bit more than most schools
Places54 spare21 pupils, 75 places
Pupils per teacher5.3School workforce census
Pupils on roll21Census January 2026

Heywood Academy is a special free school in Rochdale for boys and girls aged 11 to 19. It has 21 pupils and room for 75. About 33 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools.

West Starkey Street, Heywood, Rochdale, OL10 4TW0161 870 0081Mrs Laura Millard headteacherAll details

Ofsted

Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet. That is normal for a school that opened in 2025: 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 Rochdale council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll21Census January 2026
Places7528% full
Pupils from low-income families33%33% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English0%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%21 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)39%£7,700 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls16 / 5
White British pupils86%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (20), language and communications needs (1).

Staff

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

Teachers4.0full-time equivalent, 4 people
Pupils per teacher5.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants5.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£56,369
Vacancies0

The area around the school

Local crime rate0 per 1,000 people100% lower than the England average
Typical house price£207,000Rochdale
Nearest bus stop180 mBank Top Street, 26 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
St Luke's Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England700 m446No overall grade 202584Compare
Woodland Community Primary SchoolCouncil810 m564Not inspected14Compare
Harwood Park Primary SchoolCouncil880 m291Good 202424Compare
St Michael's Church of England Primary School, BamfordChurch of England0.7 miles228Outstanding 202494Compare
St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School Rochdale, a Voluntary AcademyAcademy0.7 miles373Good 202043Compare
Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England CollegeRoman Catholic/Church of England0.7 miles768Report card 202634Compare
St Margaret's Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles–Good 2024–Compare
All Souls Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England0.9 miles234Outstanding 202395Compare
All schools in RochdaleBest primary schools in England

Questions parents ask

Is Heywood Academy a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Heywood Academy yet.

How many pupils does Heywood Academy have?

21 pupils aged 11 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 75 places, so it is 28% full.

Does Heywood Academy have a sixth form?

Yes.

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

Contact and details

Address
West Starkey Street, Heywood, Rochdale, OL10 4TW
Telephone
0161 870 0081
Headteacher
Mrs Laura Millard
Type of school
Special free school (Free schools special, free schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 11-19, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Multi-academy trust
New Bridge Multi Academy Trust (8 schools)
Local authority
Rochdale
Ward
North Heywood
Constituency
Heywood and Middleton North
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2025 (academy free school)
URN
151630 · LAESTAB 3547000 · UKPRN 10098676
Official recordGovernment performance tablesDownload this school's data (CSV)

Where these figures come from