The Orchards
Audley Avenue, Stretford, M32 9TG
- Phase
- Free Schools
- School type
- Free schools special
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- BRIGHT FUTURES EDUCATIONAL TRUST
- Headteacher
- Ms Helen O'Brien
- Religious ethos
- None
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Bright Futures Educational Trust
- Constituency
- Stretford and Urmston
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 149
- Pupils on roll
- 148
- URN
- 142782
- Local authority
- Trafford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01617480670
About this school
The Orchards is a special academy in Stretford. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 148 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Orchards, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 12 February 2025, where inspectors found the school has improved significantly. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 13 | 8 | 15 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 8% | 0% | 7% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | 0% | 7% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 8% | 0% | 7% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | - | 111.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 94.0 | - | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -3.70 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The Orchards has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Trafford average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 0% | 65.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 65.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 67.5% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 125 |
| 2023/24 | 133 |
| 2024/25 | 144 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 60.14%
- English as an additional language
- 43.1%
- Overall absence
- 6.83%
- Persistent absence
- 18.18%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Egerton High School0.4 miles
Special schools · Manchester
-
Abbotsford Preparatory School1.6 miles
Independent schools · Manchester
-
Longford Park School1.8 miles
Academies · Manchester
-
Woodlands1.8 miles
Special schools · Rossendale
-
Arbour Academy1.9 miles
Academies · Salford, Greater Manchester
Other schools in Stretford
Common questions
- What ages does The Orchards teach?
- The Orchards teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a special school in Stretford.
- Who is the headteacher of The Orchards?
- The headteacher of The Orchards is Ms Helen O'Brien, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Orchards been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Orchards, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at The Orchards?
- The Orchards has 148 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is The Orchards full?
- The Orchards has capacity for 149 pupils and 148 on roll (99%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is The Orchards a faith school?
- No. The Orchards has no designated religious character.
- Is The Orchards part of an academy trust?
- The Orchards is part of BRIGHT FUTURES EDUCATIONAL TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Orchards's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is The Orchards's absence rate?
- The Orchards's overall absence rate is 6.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Orchards's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Orchards's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 2 July 2026.