Oldham specialist school invests £100k but keeps pupil cap 2026

Key Points

• Independent specialist school Chances Mentoring based in Chadderton, Oldham, has made an investment of £100,000 in site development over summer 2026.
• The new developments include ICT room, maths class, calm rooms, library, dining space, kitchen, garden, and running track.
• The pupil numbers of the school shall not exceed 60 pupils aged 11 to 16 years.
• Commenting on the investment, Callum Siddall, the founder, and director said that the investment was intended to build capacity without increasing pupil numbers.
• The Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) model is to be used by the school to help students manage their emotions and engage in learning.
• All the pupils of the school are assessed as having social, emotional, and mental health needs and many of the pupils are autistic.
• Chances Mentoring was rated “strong standard” in its first inspection report by Ofsted in May 2026.
• New facilities will be available for use from September 2026.

Oldham (Manchester Mirror) August 31, 2026 – Chances Mentoring, an independent specialist school and alternative provision based at Whitegate Business Centre in Chadderton, has completed a £100,000 expansion of its site over the summer, adding an ICT suite, new classrooms, calm rooms, a library and a new kitchen, while confirming it will not increase the number of pupils it teaches, according to reporting by the uk/local/oldham/">Oldham Chronicle.

The school, registered for up to 60 pupils aged 11 to 16, says the additional space will be used to improve provision for its current roll rather than to grow it, as reported by the Oldham Chronicle. The expansion centres on unit five, previously a personal training facility, which has been converted into an ICT suite, a mathematics classroom, a staff office, a meeting room and a new staffed reception area, the Oldham Chronicle reported.

Two calm spaces have been created for one-to-one intervention work, alongside an outdoor garden for emotional support sessions and a new kitchen facility, according to the Oldham Chronicle. A former open-plan classroom has been divided to create a dining room and a library, and a running track has been laid alongside the existing artificial pitch, the Oldham Chronicle reported.

Why is Chances Mentoring expanding facilities without increasing pupil numbers?

Callum Siddall, founder and director at Chances Mentoring, told the Oldham Chronicle: “This investment is not about increasing our headcount, it is about increasing the depth of our support.” He added: “Our priority has always been to provide a better educational experience for the students we have, rather than expanding our numbers for the sake of income.”

Siddall continued: “We want every young person who comes through our doors to have the environment and resources they need to thrive and achieve their potential,” as quoted by the Oldham Chronicle. The school’s approach reflects a focus on quality of provision over scale, with the new spaces designed to support intensive, individualised interventions for pupils with complex needs, the Oldham Chronicle reported.

What new facilities and support approaches are being introduced?

The expansion includes dedicated calm spaces for one-to-one intervention work and an outdoor garden for emotional support sessions, according to the Oldham Chronicle. The school is also introducing the Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) approach, a programme in which trained staff help pupils recognise and manage their emotions so they can engage with learning, the Oldham Chronicle reported.

All pupils at the school have social, emotional and mental health needs, and many have additional diagnoses including autism, as noted by the Oldham Chronicle. Places are commissioned by local authorities and mainstream schools across Oldham and the wider Greater Manchester area, the Oldham Chronicle reported.

The curriculum combines GCSE mathematics and English with vocational and thematic learning, including construction, hair and beauty, sport and ASDAN qualifications, according to the Oldham Chronicle. The new facilities are due to be fully operational for the start of the autumn term in September, the Oldham Chronicle reported.

How has Chances Mentoring performed in recent inspections?

Chances Mentoring was judged “strong standard” for inclusion in its first Ofsted inspection, published in May, as reported by the Oldham Chronicle. Inspectors rated achievement, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and governance at the expected standard, and found the school met safeguarding requirements, the Oldham Chronicle noted.

The school opened in January 2025 after securing Department for Education registration, having previously operated as an informal mentoring project, according to the Oldham Chronicle. In May it passed an unannounced Joint Council for Qualifications inspection of its examination arrangements, the Oldham Chronicle reported.

What is the background to this development?

Chances Mentoring emerged from an informal mentoring project before securing formal registration as an independent specialist school and alternative provision in January 2025, as reported by the Oldham Chronicle. The school is based at Whitegate Business Centre in Chadderton and serves pupils aged 11 to 16 with social, emotional and mental health needs, many of whom also have autism, the Oldham Chronicle noted.

Its first Ofsted inspection, published in May 2026, rated the school at the expected standard across key domains and confirmed compliance with safeguarding requirements, according to the Oldham Chronicle. The summer 2026 expansion represents the first major capital investment since registration, converting a former personal training facility into teaching and support spaces, the Oldham Chronicle reported.

The introduction of the ELSA programme aligns with the school’s focus on emotional regulation as a prerequisite for academic engagement, a model increasingly adopted in specialist provision across England, as contextualised by the Oldham Chronicle’s coverage of the school’s development.

What predictions can be made about the impact on pupils and local authorities?

The investment is likely to improve outcomes for current pupils by providing more specialised environments for learning and emotional support, particularly through the new calm rooms and ELSA programme, according to the rationale set out by Siddall and reported by the Oldham Chronicle. For local authorities and mainstream schools commissioning places, the enhanced provision may increase confidence in the school’s capacity to support complex needs without requiring additional placements elsewhere in the system.

Given the school’s stated commitment to maintaining its 60-pupil cap, the development is not expected to increase overall specialist place capacity in Oldham, but may reduce pressure on other provisions by improving retention and progress for existing pupils, based on the school’s stated objectives as reported by the Oldham Chronicle. If the ELSA approach and new facilities lead to measurable improvements in engagement and attainment, the model could inform future investments in specialist alternative provision across Greater Manchester.