SMS Changing Lives School
Unit 2, Aniseed Park, Oldham Broadway Business Park, Oldham, OL9 9XA
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Other independent special school
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Ms Hecabe DuFraisse
- Admissions policy
- Selective
- Religious ethos
- None
- Constituency
- Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 80
- Pupils on roll
- 35
- URN
- 146646
- Local authority
- Oldham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01614801411
About this school
SMS Changing Lives School is an independent special school in Oldham. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 35 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has not yet inspected SMS Changing Lives School under its current framework. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
SMS Changing Lives School has not been inspected by Ofsted yet. It opened in its current form in July 2019, and new or converted schools usually wait a few years for their first inspection.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 12 | 11 | 13 |
| Attainment 8 score | - | - | - |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | - | - | - |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | - | - | - |
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 SMS Changing Lives School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 33 |
| 2023/24 | 40 |
| 2024/25 | 40 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 0%
- Pupils with an EHC plan
- 35
- Pupils on SEN support
- 0
Location
Nearby schools
-
Afifah School0.2 miles
Independent schools · Manchester
-
IncludEd Learning0.5 miles
Special schools · Manchester
-
St Bede's College0.7 miles
Independent schools
-
St John Vianney RC School0.7 miles
Special schools · Manchester
-
Kassim Darwish Grammar School for Boys1.1 miles
Independent schools · Manchester
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
- Spring Brook Academy Academies
- Supreme Start Ltd Special schools
Common questions
- What year groups does SMS Changing Lives School teach?
- SMS Changing Lives School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a special school in Oldham.
- Who is the headteacher of SMS Changing Lives School?
- The headteacher of SMS Changing Lives School is Ms Hecabe DuFraisse, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has SMS Changing Lives School been inspected?
- Ofsted has not inspected SMS Changing Lives School under its current framework, so no current judgement is shown. That is common for newer schools and is not a mark against a school.
- How big is SMS Changing Lives School?
- SMS Changing Lives School has 35 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is SMS Changing Lives School full?
- SMS Changing Lives School has capacity for 80 pupils and 35 on roll (44%), so it has space against 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 SMS Changing Lives School a faith school?
- No. SMS Changing Lives School has no designated religious character.
- Is SMS Changing Lives School a selective school?
- Yes. SMS Changing Lives School is recorded as Selective in the schools register, so entry involves selection.
- What are SMS Changing Lives School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, SMS Changing Lives School'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 24 July 2026.