St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme

St James' CofE Primary School continues to demonstrate good performance, maintaining strong relationships among pupils and staff while fostering a welcoming environment for all. The school exhibits high expectations for behaviour and academic achievements, with pupils showing enthusiasm for learning and participating in various extracurricular activities. Safeguarding arrangements are also highlighted as effective, ensuring a safe atmosphere conducive to learning. Overall, the school successfully supports not only general academic development but also personal growth across a diverse student body, including those with special educational needs.

Strengths

• Strong relationships between pupils and staff
• Clear expectations of behaviour leading to good conduct
• Ambitious curriculum that supports all pupils, including those with SEND
• Effective leadership of the curriculum and ongoing staff training
• Consistent teaching of phonics and reading across all key stages
• Extensive extracurricular activities promote personal development
• Effective safeguarding arrangements in place

Areas for Improvement

• Insufficient detailed evaluation of learning in a few subjects

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 St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.1% 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, 0.0% of pupils at St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme 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 St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme had 19.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 41.9% 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, 5.9% of pupils at St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.3% 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 St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme received £7,724 and spent £7,498 for each of its 222 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £114,000 (£515 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

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What is St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme last inspected by Ofsted?

St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme have?

St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme has 222 pupils on roll.

What age range does St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme cover?

St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 74% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme?

St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme is at Cromwell Range, Birch-in-Rusholme, St James C of E Primary School, Manchester, M14 6HW.