Greenbank Primary School

Greenbank Primary School is a larger-than-average primary in a deprived area, federated with Howard Street Nursery School, and has had a new executive headteacher since September 2025. Safeguarding standards are met, and inspectors found the school generally performing at the expected standard. Pupils leave Year 6 with outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics broadly in line with national peers, including disadvantaged pupils, and the curriculum is broad, ambitious and logically ordered. Teaching is secure in reading and mathematics, and early years provision is thoughtfully designed for children with language and other barriers. Inclusion and personal development are notable strengths. The school supports a well-above-average proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language, including new arrivals, and pupils feel a strong sense of belonging. Pastoral care is strong, behaviour is studious and considerate, bullying is rare, and pupils benefit from an extensive enrichment programme including adventurous pursuits and residential trips. Leaders and governors know the school well, professional development is well considered, and parents are highly positive. The main concern is attendance: too many pupils do not attend regularly, and persistent absence remains above the national average, although it is reducing. Leaders' strategies have not yet secured sustained improvement. There are also inconsistencies in addressing pupils' handwriting and spelling errors, and agreed next steps for some pupils with barriers to learning lack precision, so support is not always closely matched to what they need next.

Strengths

• Broad, ambitious and logically ordered curriculum.
• Secure subject knowledge and effective teaching in reading and mathematics.
• Strong early years provision that develops communication and language.
• Thoughtful support for pupils who speak English as an additional language.
• Inclusive culture where pupils feel a deep sense of belonging.
• Extensive personal development and enrichment, including adventurous pursuits and residential trips.
• Pupils behave with consideration and bullying is rare.
• Effective pastoral care and strong relationships with families.
• Well-considered professional development and supportive governance.
• Safeguarding standards are met.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve in line with national peers at the end of Year 6.

Areas for Improvement

• Too many pupils do not attend school regularly.
• Persistent absence remains above the national average and improvement is not yet sustained.
• Staff do not consistently identify and address gaps in pupils' handwriting and spelling quickly enough.
• Agreed next steps for some pupils with barriers to learning lack precision.
• Support for a few pupils is not closely matched to their starting points.
• Monitoring of pupils with barriers is not consistently used to set sharply focused targets.
• Phonics screening outcomes at the end of Year 1 are below the national average.

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 Greenbank Primary School attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.4% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Greenbank 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 Greenbank Primary School had 22.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.6% 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, 13.9% of pupils at Greenbank Primary 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 Greenbank Primary School received £7,638 and spent £7,995 for each of its 406 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £80,000 (£197 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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All schools in Rochdale · Rochdale local authority: places and applications

What is Greenbank Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Greenbank Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Greenbank Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Greenbank Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Greenbank Primary School have?

Greenbank Primary School has 423 pupils on roll.

What age range does Greenbank Primary School cover?

Greenbank Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Greenbank Primary School?

Greenbank Primary School is at Greenbank Road, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL12 0HZ.