Newbridge School

What Newbridge School does

New Bridge School is a UK special educational needs (SEND) school operating across four sites — New Bridge School (Roman Road), New Bridge Pathways, New Bridge College, and New Bridge Learning Centre — under the New Bridge Multi Academy Trust (MAT) based in Oldham, Greater Manchester. It serves young people aged 4 to 19 who hold Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), with specialist provision for autism, complex learning difficulties, sensory processing and communication needs. Curriculum differentiation runs from Autism Entitlement Provision and Interactive Provision at Key Stages 3-5, through vocational pathways at the College, to life-skills and independence programmes at the Learning Centre. Sub-brands (Lumenus performing arts, Destiny media, Activ8 employability, Bridging the Gap work experience, Destinations Champions, and New Bridge Parliament student voice) form a portfolio of programmes layered on top of core educational delivery.

The school is publicly funded; tuition is not charged, and revenue flows from local authority SEN budgets based on EHCPs. It employs 51-100 staff and is geographically anchored in Oldham while drawing students from Tameside and Rochdale, with transport-supported intake from surrounding boroughs. Distribution is direct via local-authority EHCP placements, not commercial sales. GTM is community-led: a website, regular site newsletters, blog posts, Facebook updates, and parent/carer information sessions. Commercial technology integrations are limited to mainstream tools — Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, YouTube/Vimeo, ParentPay, Reading Plus and Serif WebPlus — alongside a 1:1 iPad Initiative and assistive-technology kit (eye-gaze, switches, adapted keyboards) that have earned an Apple Distinguished School designation.

The business model has no commercial pricing layer. Strategic positioning centres on community-embedded partnerships (Sharp Project/Sharp Futures, Manchester Metropolitan University, The Lowry, Rochdale FC, Oldham Youth Service, and an international collaboration with H-Farm in Italy) that create work-experience, enrichment and post-19 transition pathways. The headteacher is Mrs T (Tootill), with Dawn Smith leading the Learning Centre, Stephen Newport coordinating assistive technology, and Rebeckah Hollingsworth serving as Executive Advisor to the Trust. No funding rounds, M&A, or external investment activity are recorded; growth has been organic within the MAT structure.

Name

Newbridge School

Legal name

New Bridge School

Website

https://newbridgeschool.net

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

New Bridge School is a publicly funded UK special educational needs school operating four sites under the New Bridge Multi Academy Trust, serving students aged 4-19 with EHCPs across Oldham, Tameside and Rochdale.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Junior Colleges (6112)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Education Vocational & Transition Programs (18–22) (EDAKAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Transition & School-Readiness Support for Special Needs Children (HSAAAIAO), Special Education Online / Virtual Schools & Remote Programs (EDAKAAAL)

Keywords

• Special educational needs
• Special needs school
• Multi academy trust
• Autism specialist provision
• EHCP funded education

Headquarters

HQ city

Romford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

New Bridge School is a publicly funded special educational needs (SEN) school for learners aged 4-19 holding Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). It operates four sites under the New Bridge Multi Academy Trust: the Main Body (Roman Road), Pathways (KS2/3), the autism-specialist Learning Centre, and New Bridge College (post-16 vocational/therapeutic). Core delivery includes personalised learning, therapies, vocational pathways, and ancillary services such as a Holiday Club and the "everyonelearning" digital learning portal.

Product overview

New Bridge School operates as a multi-site special educational needs organization under the New Bridge Multi Academy Trust (MAT), providing specialized education for young people with EHCP from age 4 to 19. The organization comprises four distinct educational sites: New Bridge School (main body at Roman Road), New Bridge Pathways, New Bridge College, and New Bridge Learning Centre. These sites are coordinated under the MAT platform which provides shared services including the 1:1 iPad Initiative. Additional services include Holiday Club, After School Club, Signalong communication program, and the everyonelearning platform. Each site offers differentiated curricula tailored to varying ability levels and EHCP requirements, from primary through post-16 vocational education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lumenus: Arts and performance program combining dance, music and creative arts for students across the school
• Destiny
• Activ8
• Bridging the Gap (BTG)
• New Bridge Parliament
• Destinations Champions

Products and services

• New Bridge School — Main Body (Roman Road) Main secondary-phase SEND provision within the New Bridge Multi Academy Trust, delivering personalised learning, therapies and pathways for learners aged 11-19 holding Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). Located at Roman Road.
• New Bridge Pathways SEND school site within the New Bridge Multi Academy Trust family providing phase-specific education pathways for learners with EHCPs.
• New Bridge Learning Centre Autism-specialist SEND site for learners aged 4-14 holding Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). Forms part of the New Bridge MAT family.
• New Bridge College (Hollinwood) Post-16 SEND college located at Hollinwood, delivering vocational and therapeutic pathways for learners aged 16-25 with Education, Health and Care Plans. Includes a school farm used for the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
• Holiday Club & After School Club Wraparound Holiday Club and After School Club provision for learners with EHCPs, providing continuity of care and engagement beyond the school day and term-time.
• everyonelearning (learning portal) Digital learning portal ('everyonelearning') used by New Bridge School learners and families as part of the school's blended learning approach for SEND learners.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• H-Farm (Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026International educational partnership with H-Farm school in Italy. Students from New Bridge College participated in a Venice trip working on media projects including promotional videos and photography. Students collaborated on media projects at H-Farm's campus, with awards presented for best presentations, photography, and videography.
• Sharp Project (Sharp Futures)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedia industry partnership providing Destiny students from BTG (Bridging the Gap) programme with sessions at the Sharp Project facility near Manchester. Students learn multimedia skills including software used in ITV, BBC, and major film productions. Sharp Futures team supports and teaches students new media skills.
• Manchester Metropolitan UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through the Bridging the Gap (BTG) programme where MMU students participate in Aim Higher tours and share experiences with New Bridge students. Students have visited university campus for tours and presentations.
• The Lowry (Salford)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLumenus College and Lumenus Pathways students perform at the Quays Theatre at The Lowry as part of Salford Dance Explosion event. Students work with technical theatre professionals gaining insight into large-scale production.
• Oldham Youth ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth service delivers workshops on sensitive topics including hate crime awareness for college students as part of PSHE curriculum.
• Rochdale Football ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTG students on Rochdale FC placement prepare pitches and facilities, gaining work experience in sports industry.
• Merseyside Maritime MuseumminorOthersCultural enrichment visits for Lumenus students to Liverpool museums as part of educational trips exploring history and culture.
• Pizza ExpressminorOthersLumenus students visit Pizza Express Liverpool as part of educational city visits, learning about hospitality and food service.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• nasen (National Association for Special Educational Needs): The UK membership organisation supporting those working with children and young people with SEND, providing training, resources and policy guidance. Relevant as a sector peer for benchmarking and capability uplift rather than as a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Ambitious about Autism: A UK charity running specialist education settings and a sixth-form college for autistic children and young people. Directly comparable to New Bridge's autism provision and post-16 college model.
• Orchard Hill College & Academy Trust: A UK Multi Academy Trust dedicated to specialist education for students with SEN, operating both school sites and a post-16 college provision. Closely comparable in structure, age range, and SEND-focused mission to New Bridge MAT.

Broad incumbents

• Aurora Academies Trust: Operates specialist day and residential schools for children with autism and social-emotional difficulties across the UK. Comparable as a multi-site SEND education provider with similar EHCP-funded placement model.
• Priory Group (Education Division): A large UK provider of specialist education, residential care and mental health services, including independent SEN schools and colleges. Overlaps with New Bridge on specialist autism and SEMH provision at greater scale and breadth.
• Acorn Care and Education: A UK independent specialist education group operating residential and day schools for children with SEN, including autism and social, emotional and mental health needs. Comparable multi-site specialist SEND operator serving EHCP-funded students.
• Witherslack Group: One of the UK's largest independent specialist education providers, running residential and day schools for children with SEN including autism, SEMH and complex needs. Comparable as a multi-site specialist education operator serving EHCP-funded students.
• Outcomes First Group: A UK-wide provider of specialist education, fostering and children's services for children and young people with complex needs, including autism and learning disabilities. Comparable as a multi-site SEND education operator with strong transition-to-adulthood pathways.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/newbridgegroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/NewBridgeSchool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/newbridge-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Newbridge School