Newhouse Academy

About Newhouse Academy

Newhouse Academy sits in the Rochdale local authority, a secondary school for 11- to 16-year-olds that ranks 8th out of 11 schools of its type in the area. That places it in the bottom half of the local league table, well behind the top-performing peers nearby. The strongest of those, Hollingworth Academy, posts a Progress 8 score of -0.02, while Matthew Moss High School and Falinge Park High School both sit at -0.03. Newhouse’s own Progress 8 score of -0.36 is below the local authority average of -0.25, and nationally it falls in the bottom 50 per cent of schools. The school is led by headteacher Alex Burnham and has no religious character. It is a non-selective state school with no sixth form, so pupils leave at 16. With 980 pupils on roll against a capacity of 1,050, it is not yet full, but demand is strong: for the 2025/26 intake, 352 families applied for 204 places, and 167 of those were first-preference offers.

Academically, the picture is mixed. In its most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in November 2023, the school was rated Requires Improvement overall, a step up from its previous Inadequate rating in January 2020. The inspection report shows clear strengths in behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management, all of which were judged Good. The quality of education, however, remains Requires Improvement. At Key Stage 4, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 40.1, and 54 per cent of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths, compared with 33.2 per cent at the higher 9-5 threshold. The EBacc entry rate is 26.7 per cent, with 10.4 per cent achieving the full EBacc at grade 5 or above. Progress 8 is negative across most subject areas, though maths comes closest to the national average at -0.04. English and EBacc subjects show steeper negative scores, at -0.46 and -0.65 respectively.

The school offers a broad range of facilities, including a swimming pool, theatre, sports hall, and music rooms, plus clubs from debate to Young Enterprise and eco activities. Its SEND provision covers ten categories, from dyslexia and autism to physical disabilities and speech and language needs, so it is well equipped to support a wide range of additional needs. Over 43 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average, reflecting the school’s role in a relatively disadvantaged catchment. For families considering Newhouse, the key takeaway is that it is an improving school with good behaviour and leadership, but academic outcomes still lag behind local averages. It suits parents who value a supportive, inclusive environment and are comfortable with a school that is still working through its turnaround. Oversubscription means early application is wise.

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