The Springboard Project
2 Medtia Square, Phoenix Street, Oldham, OL1 1AN
- Phase
- Free Schools
- School type
- Free schools special
- Ages
- 14 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- NEW BRIDGE MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Andrew Howard
- Sponsor
- New Bridge Academy
- SEN provision
- SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
- Constituency
- Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 127
- Pupils on roll
- 155
- URN
- 145922
- Local authority
- Oldham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01618833250
About this school
The Springboard Project is a special academy in Oldham. It teaches children aged 14 to 19 and has 155 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Springboard Project, 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 17 | 35 | 38 |
| Attainment 8 score | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Progress 8 score | -2.85 -3.52 to -2.18 | -2.87 -3.37 to -2.38 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The Springboard Project has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Oldham average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 0.2 | 39.7 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 0.3 | 38.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 0.1 | 35.9 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 41.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 45.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 48.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 65 |
| 2023/24 | 97 |
| 2024/25 | 141 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 79.49%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 48.48%
- Persistent absence
- 92.94%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Future Finders Employability College0.0 miles
Other types · Oldham
-
Westwood Boys School0.3 miles
Independent schools
-
Darul Hadis Latifiah Northwest0.6 miles
Independent schools · Oldham
-
Westwood High0.6 miles
Independent schools · Oldham
-
Thornycroft School0.7 miles
Special schools · Oldham
Other schools in Oldham
- Chances Mentoring Special schools
- EdStart Schools Oldham and Rochdale Special schools
- Future Finders Employability College Other types
- Halcyon Way School Free Schools
- Hollinwood Academy Academies
- Kingfisher Special School Academies
- Kingsland School Local authority maintained schools
- New Bridge School Academies
- Path 4 Special schools
- SEE (Oldham) Special schools
- SMS Changing Lives School Special schools
- Spring Brook Academy Academies
Common questions
- What ages does The Springboard Project teach?
- The Springboard Project teaches children aged 14 to 19. It is a special school in Oldham.
- Who is the headteacher of The Springboard Project?
- The headteacher of The Springboard Project is Mr Andrew Howard, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Springboard Project been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Springboard Project, 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 Springboard Project?
- The Springboard Project has 155 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 14 to 19.
- Is The Springboard Project full?
- The Springboard Project has capacity for 127 pupils and 155 on roll (122%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is The Springboard Project a faith school?
- No. The Springboard Project has no designated religious character.
- Is The Springboard Project part of an academy trust?
- The Springboard Project is part of NEW BRIDGE MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does The Springboard Project have?
- The schools register lists The Springboard Project's special educational needs provision as: SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have The Springboard Project's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 0.2 in 2022/23 and 0.1 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 Springboard Project's absence rate?
- The Springboard Project's overall absence rate is 48.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Springboard Project's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Springboard Project'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 10 July 2026.