Halcyon Way School

Halcyon Way School is a primary special school for pupils aged 2 to 11, all of whom have or are being assessed for an EHC plan, and it opened in January 2022 within Kingfisher Learning Trust. This was its first section 5 inspection. Inspectors found a school where pupils are happy, safe and well cared for, with strong relationships and high expectations. Behaviour and attitudes were judged outstanding, with highly personalised support helping pupils with complex needs to manage emotions and behaviour, while quality of education, personal development and leadership and management were good. Safeguarding is effective. The curriculum is built around pupils' EHC plans and adapted well to SEND, including communication pathways and a more formal subject curriculum where appropriate. Staff know pupils well, use assessment effectively and share progress with parents, and the recently introduced phonics programme has got off to a strong start. Attendance has improved considerably through close work with families, and personal development includes practical life skills, relationships education and wider experiences. Trust and governance are secure, with governors aware of strengths and priorities. The main area for improvement is that leaders do not have sufficient oversight of how effective individual subject curriculums are. This limits their ability to measure impact and identify pupils who may not be learning as well as they could, and it weakens the information available to governors and trustees for accountability. The phonics programme is new, so its impact cannot yet be seen.

Strengths

• Highly personalised support enables pupils with complex needs to behave exceptionally well.
• Curriculum is closely matched to pupils' EHC plans and SEND needs.
• Staff build strong, trusting relationships with pupils.
• Pupils feel happy, safe and well cared for.
• Assessment tracks individual progress and is shared with parents and carers.
• Attendance has improved considerably through close work with families.
• Personal development teaches practical life skills, safety and positive relationships.
• New phonics programme is well trained and has got off to a strong start.
• Trust and local governing board know the school well and understand priorities.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Leaders lack sufficient oversight of the impact of individual subject curriculums.
• School cannot easily identify when some pupils are not learning as well as they could across subjects.
• Governors and trustees may not have the information needed to hold the school to account on subject effectiveness.
• Impact of the new phonics programme is not yet evident because it is too soon.

In 2024–25 pupils at Halcyon Way School attended 90.2% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 34.5% 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 Halcyon Way 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 Halcyon Way School had 13.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.5% 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 Halcyon Way School had 130 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; social, emotional and mental health; 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 2024–25 Halcyon Way School received £27,444 and spent £26,151 for each of its 118 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £504,000 (£4,272 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Kingfisher Learning Trust, income was £14,454 and spending £14,223 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Oldham · Oldham local authority: places and applications

Halcyon Way School is part of Kingfisher Learning Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Kingfisher Special School Oldham
• Medlock Valley Primary School Oldham
• Blackshaw Lane Primary & Nursery School Oldham
• Littlemoor Primary School Oldham
• Oakdale School Dukinfield
• Cromwell High School Dukinfield

What is Halcyon Way School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Halcyon Way School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Halcyon Way School last inspected by Ofsted?

Halcyon Way School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Halcyon Way School have?

Halcyon Way School has 130 pupils on roll.

What age range does Halcyon Way School cover?

Halcyon Way School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Halcyon Way School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Halcyon Way School?

Halcyon Way School is at Gordon Street, Chadderton, Oldham Ol9 9QE.