Latest Ofsted
Ungraded inspectionWhat to know
The Orchards is a co-educational special school in Stretford, catering for pupils aged 3–11. The school's most recent Ofsted visit was an ungraded inspection in February 2025.
The essentials
Facts that help you decide
Ofsted rating
Ungraded inspectionAge range
3–11
Sixth form
No
Gender
Mixed
Entry type
Non-selective
Admissions
Can my child get a place?
The rules, recent outcomes and context that matter when judging your chances.
Places are allocated through the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process rather than the standard Trafford coordinated admissions system.
A place at this school is named in a child's EHCP by Trafford Council following an assessment of their needs, rather than through an annual application round. Because places are matched to individual needs rather than allocated by priority order, distance and oversubscription statistics used for mainstream schools are not applicable here.
Trafford SEND and EHCP guidance →Performance
How do pupils perform here?
A plain-English view of the school's results, trends and Trafford context before you dive into the full data.
Average performance with improving trends
Academic performance remains stable.
Progress 8 was not calculated nationally for 2024/25. Overall absence stood at 6.83%.
Watch Points
- Attendance below the Trafford average (6.83% absence vs 4.6% across Trafford).
Based on official Department for Education datasets. Latest update: 2024/25. Not available nationally: Progress 8 for 2024/25, Exam performance data for 2020/21 (Covid-19 disruption).
Ofsted
What does Ofsted say?
The latest inspection judgement, what has changed and the fuller history when you need it.
Current Ofsted Status
- Latest report published
- 31 July 2019
- Safeguarding
- Effective
- Category of concern
- None
Formal monitoring
No serious concerns are currently flagged by Ofsted.
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Your next step
What should you do next?
Take the next step in your decision, whichever feels right for where you are.