Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School

Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School has made significant progress since its last inspection, now rated as Good overall. The school provides a supportive environment where pupils thrive both academically and personally. There is a strong emphasis on building pupils' knowledge and skills through an ambitious curriculum, and a high priority is given to reading, which is fostered effectively among students. However, the school's data indicates that the overall achievement in reading, writing, and mathematics is below the national average, due in part to high turnover rates of pupils. This inconsistency impacts some students' ability to fully benefit from the curriculum.

Strengths

• Pupils form strong and trusting bonds with each other and staff.
• High expectations help students achieve well across various subjects.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND to access the curriculum.
• Reading is prioritized and promoted enthusiastically.
• Positive pupil behavior contributing to a calm school environment.
• Pupils engage in diverse extracurricular activities and community service.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils do not achieve as well as they could due to insufficiently ambitious activities.
• A few subjects lack systematic checks on pupils' understanding, leading to gaps in knowledge.
• Pupils' understanding of spirituality and cultural diversity is not as strong as it could be.

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 Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School attended 94.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.5% 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 Meanwood Community Nursery and 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 Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School had 17.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.3% 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, 21.8% of pupils at Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.7% 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 Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School received £9,119 and spent £9,166 for each of its 292 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £204,000 (£698 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 Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School is Good, from an inspection in April 2024.

When was Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School was last inspected in April 2024.

How many pupils does Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School have?

Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School has 298 pupils on roll.

What age range does Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School cover?

Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 39% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School?

Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School is at Churchill Street, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL12 7DJ.