Headteacher’s Welcome

Welcome to Newhouse Academy

I am deeply honoured to be the Headteacher of Newhouse Academy, and it is a true privilege to serve our students and the wider community.

Having completed our sixth year together as a team, our core vision ‘Our People’ continues to drive the highest standards and expectations for staff and students alike. Through the ‘Our People’ curriculum, we support students in achieving excellence in their personal development and welfare, creating a positive and nurturing culture across the academy. This approach was proudly recognised by Ofsted; “Pupils appreciate the culture of the school and buy into the ‘Our People’ vision.”

As part of Hollingworth Learning Trust, Newhouse Academy is committed to providing every student with the opportunity to thrive in an environment grounded in aspiration, integrity, and respect. Coupled with this is our unwavering determination to ensure all students achieve their desired post-Year 11 destinations. The strength of our leadership was recognised in our September 2026 Ofsted report; “There is a culture of teamwork and shared high ambition for pupils.”

We firmly believe that every child, regardless of their starting point, can reach their full potential. At Newhouse Academy, we instil the belief that intelligence and capability grow through hard work and by viewing mistakes as valuable steps in the learning journey. This growth mindset sits at the heart of our teaching, empowering students to embrace challenges as opportunities to excel. The impact of this culture speaks for itself: this year, we celebrated our best academic results on record. Our Mathematics and IT/Computing departments performed above average across both Rochdale and the North West, while our English and Science departments are now among the most improved in Rochdale.

Our high expectations provide the foundation for every academic year. Furthermore, our comprehensive provision has been enhanced by the opening of a state-of-the-art building dedicated to Sciences, Arts, and Technical Education – including Engineering, Product Design, IT, and Construction. We have long championed technical pathways, having served on the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate advisory group alongside, the now Prime Minister Andy Burnham, from its inception. Today, our curriculum offer for Construction, Design IT, and Engineering remain exceptionally popular and successful.

Our latest exciting development is the opening of ‘The Core’ – a dedicated, on-site centre, focused on embedding foundational knowledge and skills. Strong reading, writing, oracy, and numeracy are essential for students to access and succeed in their GCSE courses. The Core will accelerate performance, boost confidence, and rapidly address any learning gaps as students transition into Year 7.

As a community, we invite you to join us in achieving our vision. Together, we can support your child as they settle into secondary school, ensuring any gaps in learning are swiftly addressed with targeted support so they can achieve everything they are capable of.

We will never be complacent. Instead, we remain relentless in our pursuit of securing bright, successful futures for every student at Newhouse Academy.

Mr Alex Burnham
Headteacher