Samuel Laycock School

Samuel Laycock School is a special secondary school where all pupils have education, health and care plans, and it joined the New Bridge multi-academy trust in 2022. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection. Inspectors found high expectations being realised in practice, with strong provision for pupils' personal and academic achievement. The quality of education was judged good, while behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management were judged outstanding. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school has built a curriculum that meets a wide range of special educational needs and/or disabilities, including vocational pathways that prepare pupils well for post-16 training, work or education. Teachers know pupils very well, use expert subject knowledge, check learning carefully and keep pupils motivated. Reading is a notable strength, with effective support for pupils who need extra help. Pupils benefit from a calm and supportive environment, strong attendance work, well-embedded independence and living skills, and a well-considered careers and work-experience programme. The trust and governing body provide support and challenge while allowing the school autonomy, and staff morale is high. The main area for improvement is that some aspects of the curriculum are still in the early stages of implementation, including new pathways for pupils with sensory and communication needs. In these areas, some pupils' learning is not yet as secure as it should be, and more work is needed to ensure these pupils achieve highly. Overall, the school is performing strongly, with a clear next step focused on embedding recent curriculum developments fully.

Strengths

• High expectations for pupils' personal and academic achievement are fully realised
• Curriculum meets a wide range of SEND and is sequenced well
• Vocational pathways prepare pupils successfully for post-16 training, work or education
• Teachers have expert knowledge and know pupils extremely well
• Staff use assessment well to check learning and plan next steps
• Strong culture of reading with highly effective support programmes
• School is calm and supportive and helps pupils manage emotions and behaviour
• Attendance strategies have been successful
• Independence and living skills are well embedded across the curriculum
• Well-considered careers programme includes bespoke work experience
• Trust and governing body provide support and challenge while enabling autonomy
• Staff morale is high and workload is prioritised
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Some aspects of the curriculum are in the early stages of implementation
• In these areas, some pupils' learning is not as secure as it should be
• New sensory and communication pathways need further work to ensure pupils achieve highly

In 2024–25 pupils at Samuel Laycock School attended 89.9% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 32.2% 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, 7.9% of pupils at Samuel Laycock 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 Samuel Laycock School had 10.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 25.4% 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 Samuel Laycock School had 252 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: moderate learning difficulty; social, emotional and mental health; speech, language and communication needs; hearing impairment; vision impairment; physical disability; autistic spectrum disorder.

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 Samuel Laycock School received £23,253 and spent £22,167 for each of its 239 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £872,000 (£3,647 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of New Bridge Multi Academy Trust, income was £26,842 and spending £25,065 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 Ashton-Under-Lyne · Tameside local authority: places and applications

Samuel Laycock School is part of New Bridge Multi Academy Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• New Bridge School Oldham
• Hollinwood Academy Oldham
• The Springboard Project Oldham
• Thomas Ashton School Hyde
• Spring Brook Academy Oldham
• Hawthorns School Hyde
• Heywood Academy Rochdale

What is Samuel Laycock School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Samuel Laycock School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Samuel Laycock School last inspected by Ofsted?

Samuel Laycock School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Samuel Laycock School have?

Samuel Laycock School has 252 pupils on roll.

What age range does Samuel Laycock School cover?

Samuel Laycock School for pupils aged 11 to 17.

Where is Samuel Laycock School?

Samuel Laycock School is at Broadoak Road, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, OL6 8RF.