Newlands School

Newlands School is currently undergoing significant changes as it adapts its curriculum to better meet the increasingly complex needs of its pupils, who all have special educational needs and/or disabilities. This ungraded inspection indicates that while there have been positive initiatives in implementing new pathways and refining assessment systems, many of these efforts are still in their infancy. Consequently, there are areas where clarity and focus on curriculum delivery are required to ensure that pupils can fully benefit from their educational experience.

Strengths

• Strong relationships between staff and pupils foster a supportive learning environment.
• Pupils are made to feel valued and safe within the school community.
• Wide range of extracurricular activities supports pupils' broader development.
• Effective collaboration with external agencies to support staff training on pupils' needs.
• Staff support early reading skills, helping pupils progress to phonics.

Areas for Improvement

• Some staff lack clarity on the new curriculum, impacting its implementation.
• Pupils occasionally lose focus in lessons, which can disturb others.
• Governors' monitoring systems lack rigor, affecting accountability.
• High workload concerns persist among some staff during the period of change.

In 2024–25 pupils at Newlands School attended 91.6% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 24.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 35.3%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Newlands School were suspended at least once (nationally 5.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Newlands School had 9.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 48.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.5%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26 Newlands School had 131 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: specific learning difficulty; moderate learning difficulty; severe learning difficulty; profound and multiple learning difficulty; speech, language and communication needs; hearing impairment; vision impairment; multi-sensory impairment; physical disability; autistic spectrum disorder; other difficulty or disability.

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded special school schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Newlands School received £25,277 and spent £23,720 for each of its 131 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £274,000 (£2,094 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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What is Newlands School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Newlands School is Good, from an inspection in February 2025.

When was Newlands School last inspected by Ofsted?

Newlands School was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does Newlands School have?

Newlands School has 131 pupils on roll.

What age range does Newlands School cover?

Newlands School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Newlands School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 0% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Newlands School?

Newlands School is at Waverley Road, Middleton, Manchester, M24 6JG.