This is a small, specialist independent secondary setting designed for students aged 11 to 16 with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs, operating from multiple learning centres across Manchester. The model is built around re engagement, consistent routines, and careful relationship building, rather than large year group structures.
The most recent published inspection outcome is positive. In March 2025, the school was graded Good across overall effectiveness and the key judgement areas.
For parents, the practical headline is that access is usually through professional referral routes rather than direct parent application, and provision is intended for students who have not managed well in mainstream for a sustained period.
The school’s own framing is about creating a calm, safe place where students can reset patterns that have not worked elsewhere, then build back towards successful learning and adulthood readiness. That sits alongside an explicitly trauma informed stance, including Thrive as a whole school approach, and the use of PACE principles to support de escalation and relationship repair.
The multi centre structure matters. Rather than one large site with a single corridor culture, the setting operates across several centres, including Openshaw, Burnage and Fallowfield. This can support a more tailored fit for students, especially those who find busy environments hard to manage, but it can also mean that families should ask clearly how timetables, staffing and therapies or external services work at their child’s centre.
Leadership information is clearly published. The school lists Lyndsey Murray as Headteacher, and the 2024 monitoring inspection noted that the school had been led by an interim headteacher since January 2024.
Published comparative exam metrics are limited for this school, so parents should treat outcomes as highly individual, and ask for the most recent destination and accreditation picture relevant to their child’s pathway.
The inspection evidence is more informative than league table style comparisons here. The March 2025 inspection describes a setting where students who previously struggled can settle into routines, learn strategies for managing emotions, and begin achieving well against higher academic expectations than they may have experienced previously. The same report identifies one clear operational risk, persistent absence remains high for some students, which can limit the benefit they get from the quality of education on offer.
The curriculum is described as broad, with a clear focus on literacy and numeracy, underpinned by the national curriculum but adapted to student needs. At Key Stage 3, core subjects sit alongside PSHE and relationships education, history, and art and design.
A distinctive element is the structured literacy approach. Each centre has a reading area, students are baselined using the New Group Reading Test, and staff use reading age information to adapt teaching. Interventions listed include phonics, small group reading, and 1:1 reading support, with progress monitored over time.
In practical terms, this combination tends to suit students who need consistent routines, frequent checks for understanding, and teaching that anticipates weak confidence, gaps in prior learning, or uneven attendance. Where it may be harder is for students who can manage a mainstream timetable academically but need only light touch pastoral adjustments, the model here is intentionally more intensive and structured.
The school serves students to 16, so the key transition is into further education, training, or supported routes. The curriculum intent explicitly references preparation for further education, employment or apprenticeships, and PSHE also includes a “life beyond school” emphasis.
This is not a conventional open enrolment independent school. The school’s admissions policy states that it does not accept referrals or requests directly from parents or carers, and sets out multiple routes into provision, including alternative provision pathways.
What this means in practice:
Admissions are typically commissioning led, with professional evidence and safeguarding information shared through agreed channels.
Entry can be in year, depending on placement needs and capacity.
The most useful first step for parents is usually to work through the current school, SEN caseworker, or local authority team, and ask which referral route applies.
The pastoral model is central, not an add on. The school describes a priority on mental health and wellbeing, with psychological safety and relational approaches positioned as foundational.
Safeguarding roles are clearly signposted, including a Designated Safeguarding Lead, and the school describes a multi centre safeguarding structure supported by trained staff.
Inspection evidence in 2025 presents a picture of staff who build trusting relationships and help students develop techniques for managing emotions, with routines supporting calm learning.
Enrichment is integrated into the timetable rather than being a long after school clubs list. The curriculum description references timetabled enrichment activities including multimedia, food and cooking, visual arts, and physical activity. The implication is that students who have struggled with traditional after school expectations can still access broader experiences within the main school day.
Reading culture is another concrete strand. Reading challenges and rewards, dedicated reading time for Key Stage 3, and structured interventions can help rebuild competence and confidence for students whose disrupted education has left them behind in literacy.
Facilities are described in inspection documentation as including designated classrooms for subjects such as science, mathematics, art and design, and English. That matters for credibility with students who need a clear separation between learning spaces and downtime, and it can support a more “real school” feel for those returning from patchy provision.
Fees for specialist independent provision can be complex, because many placements are commissioned. The most recent published fee information available in official documentation is a range of annual day fees shown in the March 2025 inspection report, listed as £15,000 to £48,020.
*Bursaries may be available for eligible families.
Basis: per year
The published school day information includes breakfast availability from 08.45, with registration opening at 09.00 and registers recorded at 09.15, plus an afternoon registration period listed at 12.45 to 13.15.
Term dates are stated as aligned to Manchester City Council’s school holiday and term date calendar, with school documents provided alongside that reference.
Given the multi centre model, families should also ask how travel is arranged for their child’s placement and which site they will attend most days, including any planned movement between centres.
Attendance expectations and impact. The 2025 inspection identifies persistent absence as an ongoing challenge for some students, which can undermine progress even when teaching and support are strong.
Admissions are referral led. Parents cannot usually apply directly, and the process depends on commissioning and professional pathways. This can feel slower than mainstream admissions, and requires good coordination with the referrer.
Multi centre delivery. The model can be a strength for tailoring, but parents should check staffing continuity, timetables, and how support is coordinated across sites.
Fee clarity. Published fee information is presented as a wide range in official documentation, so it is important to confirm what applies to your child’s placement and what is included.
This is a specialist setting aimed at students whose SEMH needs have made mainstream education hard to sustain, and who need structured routines, relational support, and a carefully designed curriculum to re engage with learning. The March 2025 inspection outcome provides reassurance on quality.
Best suited to families working through a referral or commissioning route who want a smaller, structured provision that takes wellbeing and behaviour support seriously while still expecting academic progress.
The most recent published inspection outcome, March 2025, graded the school Good overall and Good across the key judgement areas. For many students, the model is designed to support a successful restart after disrupted education, particularly where SEMH needs are central.
The most recent official published figure available is a range shown in the March 2025 inspection report, listed as £15,000 to £48,020 per year for day pupils. The exact cost for an individual placement is often confirmed through the commissioning route, so families should ask what is included for their child.
Admissions are typically referral led. The admissions policy states the school does not accept referrals or requests directly from parents or carers, so the right route is usually via the current school, local authority, or other professional pathway.
The school describes itself as specialist provision for secondary age students with SEMH needs, and it also references SEND support alongside that. Families should discuss fit in detail through the referral process, including the student’s attendance pattern, triggers, and learning gaps.
Published information includes breakfast from 08.45, registration opening at 09.00, and registers recorded at 09.15, with an afternoon registration period at 12.45 to 13.15. Families should confirm finish times and any site specific variation with the relevant centre.
Get in touch with the school directly
Disclaimer
Information on this page is compiled, analysed, and processed from publicly available sources including the Department for Education (DfE), Ofsted, the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, and official school websites.
Our rankings, metrics, and assessments are derived from this data using our own methodologies and represent our independent analysis rather than official standings.
While we strive for accuracy, we cannot guarantee that all information is current, complete, or error-free. Data may change without notice, and schools and/or local authorities should be contacted directly to verify any details before making decisions.
FindMySchool does not endorse any particular school, and rankings reflect specific metrics rather than overall quality.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, we accept no liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on information provided. If you believe any information is inaccurate, please contact us.
