The Grove Partnership

  • Alternative provision
  • Local authority maintained
  • Ages 10 to 16
Ofsted: Good

Whitecroft Street, Watersheddings, Oldham, OL1 4HXOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)

The Grove Partnership is an alternative provision school in Oldham for ages 10 to 16. It is one of the 126 schools in Oldham. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in February 2020.

Ofsted inspection

Inspected 25 February 2020, report published 13 May 2020

Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Safeguarding
Met

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 June 2025

This is a nurturing and welcoming school. Pupils, all of whom have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), arrive at this setting having experienced significant disruption to their schooling. Staff equip pupils with effective strategies to manage their emotions and behaviour. Relationships are fundamental to the school's success. Staff invest time and care in building trust with pupils. Pupils know that the staff around them will listen and respond to any concerns they may have. This contributes to their strong sense of safety. The school has high expectations for pupils' success. Pupils engage with their learning and achieve well. Pupils are encouraged to be polite and respectful. They take pride in earning 'BASE points' when they behave well or show positive attitudes to their learning. Pupils are happy and enjoy school. Enrichment opportunities extend their learning beyond their academic studies. Pupils value the wide range of activities, trips and events that the school offers. For example, pupils talked excitedly about a recent trip to a theme park. These activities help pupils to apply their learning outside of the classroom.

What the school should improve

  • In some subjects, the curriculum is not coherently sequenced. This limits how well pupils build on what they already know in preparation for future learning. The school should ensure that all curriculum subjects are well sequenced so that pupils build their knowledge securely over time.
  • The school's support for some pupils who find reading difficult is not precise enough. This hinders their progress in becoming fluent and accurate readers. The school should ensure that its support for struggling readers successfully overcomes gaps in pupils' reading knowledge so that they catch up quickly.
  • There is some variability in how the agreed behaviour management strategies are implemented. This means that some pupils do not get the consistent support that they need to engage with their learning quickly enough. The school should ensure that the chosen approach to promoting positive behaviour is followed consistently well so that pupils receive the help they need to manage their behaviour.

Pupil numbers and mix

68 pupils on roll

Eligible for free school meals72.1%

72.1%, 45.6 percentage points above the England average of 26.5%.

English as an additional language4.4%

4.4%, 17.2 percentage points below the England average of 21.6%.

Special educational needs support92.6%

92.6%, 77.8 percentage points above the England average of 14.8%.

Education, health and care plan7.4%

7.4%, 1.4 percentage points above the England average of 6%.

Schools near The Grove Partnership

SchoolDistanceOfsted
Raise Rochdale Pupil Referral Service5 milesOfsted: Requires improvement
Tameside Alternative Provision Academy6 milesOfsted: Good
Ash Grove School8 milesOfsted: Requires improvement
Highfields College9 milesOfsted: Good
Moat House10 milesOfsted: Outstanding

School details

School type
Pupil referral unit
Sector
Local authority maintained
Age range
10 to 16
Gender
Mixed
Headteacher
Mr Emmett Patel
Address
Whitecroft Street, Watersheddings, Oldham, OL1 4HX
Local authority
Oldham
URN
134759

School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.