School Chooser

Spring Brook Academy

Special · ages 4-16MixedAcademy113 pupilsOldham
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, June 2023
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance72.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families69%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull113 pupils, 78 places
Pupils per teacher7.1School workforce census

Spring Brook Academy is a special academy in Oldham for boys and girls aged 4 to 16. It has 113 pupils, 35 more than it has places for. About 69 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 2023.

Dean Street, Failsworth, Oldham, M35 0DQ0161 883 3431springbrookacademy.orgMr Andrew Howard headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 28 June 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

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

Results

GCSE results, summer 2019

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

Average GCSE scoreOfficial name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-2.57In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2017/18, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2019 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
Trend
Average GCSE score
2016 to 2018
2016: 6.66.620162017: 9.89.820172018: 2.62.62018
Since 2016: -4.0
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure201920182017†2016†OldhamEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11710710
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 82.69.86.642.747.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-2.57-2.30-3.26-0.34+0.03
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%36%44%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%0%59%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.123.544.17
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%29%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged6.6

† These results are for Spring Brook School, the school this one replaced in December 2016. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

15 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 110%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official 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 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017†OldhamEngland
Pupils tested15171013710
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%4%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.096.0108.0102.0104.5105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score90.090.090.093.0103.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score96.097.0100.0106.0105.0105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%6%10%8%43%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%6%0%0%14%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-8.4-12.1-5.0-19.7
Maths progressMaths progress score-15.7-13.8-10.7-18.7

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.

† These results are for Spring Brook School, the school this one replaced in December 2016. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

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

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll113Census January 2026
Places78145% full
Pupils from low-income families69%69% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%113 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)75%£102,500 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls99 / 14
White British pupils83%

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 Oldham with social, emotional and mental health provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (93), Moderate learning difficulty (7), language and communications needs (7), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), Other difficulty or disability (1), Severe learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll1131141111018677
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals69%73%72%67%52%61%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%1%1%2%1%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 72.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance72.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school62.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils136.82024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission7.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence27.7%25.0%19.4%17.4%22.4%20.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence20.4%13.9%10.0%8.5%16.6%13.2%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence7.3%11.1%9.4%8.9%5.7%6.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence62.7%64.4%52.3%47.1%55.4%58.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate136.8112.637.667.422.1
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 7 pupils who left in 2016/17 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training71%and stayed there for at least six months

Staff and money

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

Teachers16.0full-time equivalent, 16 people
Pupils per teacher7.1Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers69%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants17.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£45,576
Teachers who left in the year38%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher13.12024/25

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£35,754England £30,720. Total £4.1m
Income per pupil£39,254England £33,526. Total £4.5m
Spent on teachers per pupil£13,982England £11,966
Money in reserve5%Not much put by: £202k, £1,772 per pupil. England 16%
Money in against money out+£399kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£35,754spent 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 m112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate0 per 1,000 people100% lower than the England average
Typical house price£208,000Oldham
Nearest bus stop250 mRidgefield Street, 16 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
Mather Street Primary SchoolCouncil130 m204Report card 202614Compare
Propps Hall Junior Infant and Nursery SchoolCouncil640 m237No overall grade 202487Compare
Co-op Academy BroadhurstAcademy710 m234Good 202349Compare
St Mary's RC Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyAcademy760 m450Good 202363Compare
Greater Manchester Independent SchoolIndependent940 m62Not inspectedCompare
Teenage KicksIndependent980 m64Not inspectedCompare
The Greens ENSIndependent0.7 miles26Not inspectedCompare
All Saints C of E Primary SchoolChurch of England0.7 miles221Good 202320Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Spring Brook Academy a good school?

Spring Brook Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in June 2023.

What is Spring Brook Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Spring Brook Academy good at its last full inspection on 28 June 2023.

How good are Spring Brook Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Spring Brook Academy have?

113 pupils aged 4 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 78 places, so it is 145% full.

What is attendance like at Spring Brook Academy?

Pupils were in school 72.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 63% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Spring Brook Academy 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
Dean Street, Failsworth, Oldham, M35 0DQ
Telephone
0161 883 3431
Website
www.springbrookacademy.org
Headteacher
Mr Andrew Howard
Type of school
Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
Phase
Special school, ages 4-16
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
New Bridge Multi Academy Trust (8 schools)
Local authority
Oldham
Ward
Failsworth West
Constituency
Manchester Central
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 December 2016 (academy converter)
URN
143472 · LAESTAB 3537012 · UKPRN 10061813
Formerly
Spring Brook School

Where these figures come from