Irk Valley Community School

Irk Valley Community School has shown continued good performance, demonstrating a strong commitment to the well-being and academic success of its diverse student body. The school fosters a supportive and inclusive environment where pupils feel safe, valued, and proud. High expectations from leaders are evident, with especially effective support provided for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), ensuring they achieve alongside their peers. Noteworthy is the school's emphasis on reading, with structured phonics instruction leading to fluency in early readers, though some pupils still face challenges in keeping pace. The school has taken positive steps to enrich pupils' learning experience through extracurricular activities, reinforcing its commitment to a well-rounded education.

Strengths

• Welcoming and diverse school community.
• High expectations for pupil behaviour and academic achievement.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND.
• Strong emphasis on reading and phonics across the school.
• Pupils engage in a variety of enrichment activities.
• Positive school culture where pupils feel safe and well cared for.
• Staff are proud to work at the school and feel supported by leaders.
• Governors provide effective support and challenge to school leaders.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers lack strong subject knowledge in a few foundation subjects.
• Certain pupils are not catching up quickly enough in reading.

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 Irk Valley Community School attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.3% 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, 0.7% of pupils at Irk Valley 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 Irk Valley Community School had 23.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.9% 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, 19.9% of pupils at Irk Valley Community School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.7% 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 Irk Valley Community School received £8,284 and spent £8,231 for each of its 437 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £81,000 (£185 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 Irk Valley Community School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Irk Valley Community School is Good, from an inspection in June 2023.

When was Irk Valley Community School last inspected by Ofsted?

Irk Valley Community School was last inspected in June 2023.

How many pupils does Irk Valley Community School have?

Irk Valley Community School has 437 pupils on roll.

What age range does Irk Valley Community School cover?

Irk Valley Community School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

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

Where is Irk Valley Community School?

Irk Valley Community School is at Waterloo Street, Lower Crumpsall, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M8 5XH.