Mather Street Primary School

Mather Street Primary School is a smaller-than-average primary in a highly deprived area, with a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils and many pupils joining mid-year or learning English as an additional language. Leaders have stabilised staffing after turbulence and improved curriculum, early years and SEND leadership. Safeguarding standards are met. The school's strongest work is in inclusion and personal development and wellbeing: pupils' individual needs are identified and supported well, and pupils benefit from a rich programme of experiences, clubs and responsibilities that builds confidence, aspiration and respect for difference. Curriculum and teaching, early years, achievement and leadership and governance are meeting expected standards, with particular strengths in vocabulary development, phonics and early years provision. However, historic Year 6 attainment in reading, writing and mathematics has been below national averages, partly reflecting pupils' late arrival and language needs. Some pupils do not develop fluent handwriting, and teachers' correction of handwriting errors is less effective. Governors also have less well-developed oversight of SEND and other vulnerable groups' achievement. The main area requiring attention is attendance and behaviour: although pupils behave well and feel safe, persistent absence and overall absence are high, and many pupils miss valuable learning and opportunities. Leaders have strengthened monitoring and are taking the right actions, but impact is still at an early stage. Overall, the school is providing a generally expected standard of education with strong inclusion and personal development, but it needs to improve attendance and sharpen handwriting and governance oversight.

Strengths

• Highly effective systems identify pupils' needs and barriers to learning, particularly for pupils with SEND.
• Staff know pupils very well and are well trained to provide support, care and resources.
• Leaders work effectively with external professionals and make astute decisions about alternative provision.
• Pupil premium is used successfully to prepare disadvantaged pupils for the next stage of education.
• Pupils who join at different times, including those who speak English as an additional language, receive good guidance to progress from their starting points.
• Personal development is a strong feature, with a wide range of meaningful experiences, clubs and responsibilities.
• Pupils develop high aspirations, celebrate differences and gain a strong understanding of British values and other faiths and cultures.
• The relationships curriculum helps pupils understand positive relationships, manage risks and resist peer pressure.
• Curriculum design has improved, with a clear focus on vocabulary that helps pupils recall key knowledge.
• Phonics is delivered consistently well in the early years and key stage 1.
• Teachers understand key knowledge, address misconceptions quickly and adapt teaching effectively for SEND and EAL pupils.
• Early years provision builds strong foundations, with a focus on communication, language and reading.
• Staff build highly positive and trusting relationships with children and work well with parents and carers.
• Leaders have stabilised staffing through turbulence and improved curriculum, early years and SEND leadership.
• Governors fulfil statutory duties and use external partners to validate school evaluation.
• Staff are positive about leaders' support for wellbeing, workload and professional development.
• Behaviour is well managed, pupils behave well, feel safe and bullying is rare.

Areas for Improvement

• Many pupils do not attend school as often as they should, and persistent absence remains high.
• Overall absence is above the national average, and leaders' work to improve attendance is at an early stage.
• Expectations for pupils' attendance are not high enough to ensure it is similar to pupils nationally.
• Some pupils do not develop a fluent handwriting style, which hinders accurate writing in subjects beyond English.
• Teachers' work to address errors in pupils' handwriting is less successful.
• Over time, pupils' attainment by the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics has been below the national average.
• Governors' oversight of the achievement of pupils with SEND and other barriers to learning is less well developed.
• Governors need clearer oversight of the achievement of some vulnerable pupil groups.

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 Mather Street Primary School attended 93.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 25.4% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Mather Street Primary 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 Mather Street Primary School had 32.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2023–24, 25.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 17.1%).

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, 23.0% of pupils at Mather Street Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.9% 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 Mather Street Primary School received £8,064 and spent £8,129 for each of its 195 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £228,000 (£1,170 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).

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What is Mather Street Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Mather Street Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Mather Street Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Mather Street Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Mather Street Primary School have?

Mather Street Primary School has 204 pupils on roll.

What age range does Mather Street Primary School cover?

Mather Street Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Mather Street Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 45% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Mather Street Primary School?

Mather Street Primary School is at Mather Street, Failsworth, Manchester, M35 0DT.