School Chooser

New Directions

Pupil referral unit / alternative provision · ages 14-16MixedPupil referral unit21 pupilsLondonNewham
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, October 2022
Pupils from low-income families43%Far more than most schools
Places39 spare21 pupils, 60 places
Pupils per teacher2.6School workforce census
Pupils on roll21Census January 2026

New Directions is a pupil referral unit in London for boys and girls aged 14 to 16. It has 21 pupils and room for 60. About 43 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

The Storey Centre, Woodman Street, North Woolwich, London, E16 2LS020 7504 0530newhamprus.org.uk/New-Directions-Home-PageMs Kirsten MacLeod headteacherprusAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 6 October 2022 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

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 Newham 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
Places6035% full
Pupils from low-income families43%43% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English19%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support100%21 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan0%0 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)38%£8,800 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls15 / 6
White British pupils14%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (21).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll211818171621
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals43%83%56%59%56%33%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language19%33%22%6%19%19%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support100%100%94%94%91%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans0%0%6%6%10%

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 12 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training25%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers
Still in education, work or training25%43%56%
Education25%43%44%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%
Work0%0%11%
Not in education, work or training42%29%28%

Staff and money

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

Teachers13.0full-time equivalent, 13 people
Pupils per teacher2.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants5.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£65,996
Teachers who left in the year9%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.42024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£70,126England £7,738. Total £2.2m
Income per pupil£68,326England £7,697. Total £2.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£34,914England £3,480
Money in reserve3%Very little put by: £57k, £1,794 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£58kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£70,126spent 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

Crimes within 500 m38812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate112 per 1,000 people24% higher than the England average
Typical house price£450,000Newham
Nearest bus stop140 mNorth Woolwich / Pier Road, 12 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
University of East LondonHigher education institutions700 mNot inspectedCompare
London Design and Engineering UTCUniversity technical college730 m854Report card 202572Compare
Winsor Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles580Good 202344Compare
Saint Mary Magdalene Church of England All Through SchoolChurch of England0.7 miles1,624Good 202345Compare
Drew Primary SchoolAcademy0.8 miles403Good 202340Compare
Gallions Primary SchoolAcademy0.8 miles443Outstanding 202383Compare
Mulgrave Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles328Good 202351Compare
Cardwell Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles423No overall grade 202492Compare

Questions parents ask

Is New Directions a good school?

New Directions doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in October 2022.

What is New Directions's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated New Directions good at its last full inspection on 6 October 2022.

How many pupils does New Directions have?

21 pupils aged 14 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 60 places, so it is 35% full.

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

Contact and details

Address
The Storey Centre, Woodman Street, North Woolwich, London, E16 2LS
Telephone
020 7504 0530
Website
www.newhamprus.org.uk/New-Directions-Home-Page
Headteacherprus
Ms Kirsten MacLeod
Type of school
Pupil referral unit (Pupil referral unit, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Pupil referral unit / alternative provision, ages 14-16
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Newham
Ward
Royal Albert
Constituency
West Ham and Beckton
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2004 (new provision)
URN
134919 · LAESTAB 3161101 · UKPRN 10016789

Where these figures come from