Ravensbury Community School

Ravensbury Community School is a large, high-deprivation primary school in Manchester. Following a full inspection, Ofsted found that the school requires significant improvement. Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils generally feel safe and are well cared for, but the overall quality of education has declined and urgent improvement is needed in achievement and curriculum and teaching. National test outcomes are below average, and many pupils do not secure essential knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics.

Strengths

• Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school's weaknesses and a clear vision for improvement.
• Recent actions have improved early years provision and established specialist learning hubs for pupils with complex SEND.
• Pupils learn phonics well, and Year 1 phonics outcomes are improving.
• Pupils feel safe, bullying is rare, and positive relationships with staff support their wellbeing.
• The pastoral team provides effective, well-established support for pupils and families.
• Attendance is consistently in line with national averages, including for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Pupils are generally polite, respectful and well mannered, and recent behaviour improvements are recognised.
• Governors have increased their capacity and restructured to improve oversight.
• Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing and support staff through periods of change.
• Early years children benefit from a newly ambitious curriculum, clear routines and warm relationships.
• Alternative provision is used appropriately and checked for safety and curriculum access.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement requires urgent improvement; national test outcomes remain below national averages in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Many pupils lack essential reading, writing and number knowledge, including secure times tables, handwriting and presentation.
• Curriculum and teaching require urgent improvement; teaching is inconsistent, expectations are sometimes too low, and work often does not meet pupils' needs.
• Assessment is not used effectively to identify gaps and misconceptions or to adapt teaching promptly.
• Pupils with SEND are not supported effectively outside the learning hubs.
• Inclusion needs attention because variability in teaching and task design limits access to the curriculum.
• Behaviour is not consistently positive, and disruption occurs when teaching is less engaging.
• Some pupils face persistent absence, although overall attendance is in line with national averages.
• Personal development and wellbeing provision is at an early stage and has not had sufficient impact.
• Enrichment and leadership opportunities are limited, and access for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND has not improved.
• Pupils' understanding of protected characteristics and wider values is limited.
• Governors previously did not provide sufficient challenge or strategic oversight, contributing to a decline in education quality.
• The early years curriculum is at an early stage, so leaders do not yet have a complete picture of its impact.
• Governors still need robust monitoring to evaluate leaders' actions accurately and drive sustained improvement.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Ravensbury Community School attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.6% of pupils at Ravensbury Community School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Ravensbury Community School had 20.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 21.5% of pupils at Ravensbury Community School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Ravensbury Community School received £7,612 and spent £7,803 for each of its 466 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £64,000 (£137 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Manchester · Manchester local authority: places and applications

What is Ravensbury Community School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ravensbury Community School is Urgent improvement, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Ravensbury Community School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ravensbury Community School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Ravensbury Community School have?

Ravensbury Community School has 466 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ravensbury Community School cover?

Ravensbury Community School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Ravensbury Community School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 46% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Ravensbury Community School?

Ravensbury Community School is at Tartan Street, Clayton, Manchester, M11 4EG.