School Chooser

Oak Haven School

Special · ages 7-16MixedCouncil98 pupilsHeywoodRochdale
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedRequires improvementLast Ofsted inspection, September 2023
Strong pass in English and maths0%England 46%
Attendance58.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families62%Far more than most schools
Places2 spare98 pupils, 100 places
Pupils per teacher5.5School workforce census

Oak Haven School is a council special school in Heywood for boys and girls aged 7 to 16. It has 98 pupils and room for 100. About 62 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2023.

Sutherland Road, Heywood, OL10 3PY01706 804178oakhaven.rochdale.sch.ukMs Narda Sestanovic headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 19 September 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Requires improvement overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Requires improvement
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Requires improvement
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Requires improvement
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

21 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE score1.0
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths0%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths0%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-2.11In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2023/24, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 8.38.320182019: 2.42.420192022: 1.31.320222023: 2.12.120232024: 4.64.620242025: 1.01.02025
Since 2018: -7.3
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018RochdaleEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11212019221814
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 81.04.62.11.32.48.342.046.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-2.11-2.71-2.80-3.19-3.06
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%36%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%6%0%58%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.090.480.180.100.110.613.594.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%0%0%31%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged4.12.2
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged5.62.0
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers4.60.71.10.9

Subjects

Results came out for 1 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.

What is taught here

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
Mathematics10 entries
0%England 53%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Mathematics100%0%0%53%

In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

4 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 11Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected levelOfficial name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2023
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%2023
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017RochdaleEngland
Pupils tested44101066
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%4%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score91.092.089.090.0104.3105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score87.092.087.085.0103.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score87.091.089.087.0105.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard10%30%0%17%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard10%20%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-2.9-7.3
Maths progressMaths progress score-4.4-3.3-11.0
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

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 Rochdale council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll98Census January 2026
Places10098% full
Pupils from low-income families62%62% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English1%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%98 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)66%£70,750 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls71 / 27
White British pupils88%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health.

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 Rochdale with social, emotional and mental health provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (68), Other difficulty or disability (13), Autistic spectrum disorder (11), language and communications needs (5), Hearing impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll988187928483
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals62%72%68%69%66%68%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language1%1%3%3%5%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%7%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%94%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 58.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance58.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school84.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils132.12024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission15.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence41.6%36.8%35.3%29.9%28.9%28.2%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence25.8%21.2%18.0%17.1%18.1%14.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence15.7%15.6%17.3%12.8%10.8%13.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence84.1%77.7%79.0%69.9%77.4%66.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate132.1281.6238.0181.0196.4
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions01000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 19 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training47%and stayed there for at least six months

Among pupils from low-income families it was 54%, compared with 33% for everyone else.

Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training47%41%78%58%
Education47%36%72%50%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%5%6%8%
Not in education, work or training21%32%6%42%

Staff and money

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

Teachers17.8full-time equivalent, 18 people
Pupils per teacher5.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers83%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants25.8full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,992
Teachers who left in the year40%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher10.02024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£29,299England £32,258. Total £8.3m
Income per pupil£29,198England £32,367. Total £8.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£10,021England £11,930
Money in reserve0%In the red: -£29k, -£102 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out-£29kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£29,299spent 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£207,000Rochdale
Nearest bus stop290 mLewis Drive, 9 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 Margaret's Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy510 mGood 2024Compare
Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyAcademy550 m202Good 202315Compare
Woodland Community Primary SchoolCouncil890 m564Not inspected14Compare
Heap Bridge Village Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles170Good 202363Compare
St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School Rochdale, a Voluntary AcademyAcademy0.8 miles373Good 202043Compare
Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England CollegeRoman Catholic/Church of England0.8 miles768Report card 202634Compare
Heywood AcademyFree school1.0 miles21Not inspectedCompare
Fairfield Community Primary SchoolAcademy1.2 milesGood 2023Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Oak Haven School a good school?

Oak Haven School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it requires improvement at its last inspection in September 2023.

What is Oak Haven School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Oak Haven School requires improvement at its last full inspection on 19 September 2023.

How good are Oak Haven School's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 0% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 1.0, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.

How many pupils does Oak Haven School have?

98 pupils aged 7 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 100 places, so it is 98% full.

What is attendance like at Oak Haven School?

Pupils were in school 58.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 84% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Oak Haven School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for social, emotional and mental health. 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
Sutherland Road, Heywood, OL10 3PY
Telephone
01706 804178
Website
oakhaven.rochdale.sch.uk
Headteacher
Ms Narda Sestanovic
Type of school
Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 7-16
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Rochdale
Ward
West Heywood
Constituency
Heywood and Middleton North
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
105861 · LAESTAB 3547006 · UKPRN 10015129

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from