Summerville Primary School

Summerville Primary School is a welcoming, inclusive school where pupils feel safe, behave well and benefit from strong pastoral care. Inspectors found a coherent and ambitious curriculum, effective support for pupils with barriers to learning, and particularly secure foundations in the early years and key stage 1, especially in communication, reading, writing and mathematics. Safeguarding standards are met, and parents are wholly positive about the care and support the school provides. However, older pupils have underachieved over time in national key stage 2 tests in reading, writing and mathematics, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Some teaching is not consistently strong enough, and older pupils are not always given sufficient opportunity to apply learning independently, which affects how securely they remember knowledge. Attendance is also a significant concern: overall absence and persistent absence are above national averages, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, and leaders' attendance analysis and actions are still at an early stage. The school has had a change of leadership since the previous inspection, with a new headteacher and deputy headteacher appointed. Leaders understand the causes of underachievement and have begun to improve curriculum, teaching and attendance, but the full impact of this work is not yet evident in published outcomes or attendance. The school serves a context with well-above-average levels of free school meals eligibility, SEN support and location deprivation.

Strengths

• A coherent and ambitious curriculum prioritises the essential knowledge pupils need.
• Strong foundations are built in communication, reading, writing and mathematics in the early years and key stage 1.
• High-quality training and support help staff deliver typically effective teaching, including phonics, handwriting and reading.
• Pupils with barriers to learning, including those with SEND, receive effective support and typically make secure progress.
• The school has developed a strong culture of belonging and inclusion.
• Early years provision is warm and well designed, with secure early phonics and number development.
• Pastoral support is highly effective and helps pupils manage feelings and behaviour.
• Pupils behave maturely and sensibly, classrooms are calm, and bullying and discrimination are rare.
• Personal development is well designed, with strong pupil leadership, extra-curricular opportunities and enriching experiences.
• Leaders are thoughtful, staff feel well supported, and governors have suitable systems to monitor effectiveness.
• Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe.
• Parents and carers are wholly positive about the support and care the school provides.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils have not achieved as well as they should in key stage 2 national tests in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Attainment is below national averages for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Older pupils occasionally do not have enough opportunity to apply new learning independently.
• Some pupils do not retain learning as securely as they could because of inconsistencies in teaching quality.
• Overall absence and persistent absence are above national averages and are not improving rapidly enough.
• Persistent absenteeism is particularly high for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Leaders' analysis of attendance information is not sharp enough to identify the most effective strategies.
• Actions to improve attendance and disadvantaged pupils' attainment are still at an early stage.

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 Summerville Primary School attended 92.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.3% 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, 3.0% of pupils at Summerville Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Summerville Primary School had 17.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.6% 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, 26.9% of pupils at Summerville Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.1% 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 Summerville Primary School received £8,932 and spent £8,989 for each of its 197 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £221,000 (£1,123 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 Salford · Salford local authority: places and applications

What is Summerville Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Summerville Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Summerville Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Summerville Primary School have?

Summerville Primary School has 197 pupils on roll.

What age range does Summerville Primary School cover?

Summerville Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

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

Where is Summerville Primary School?

Summerville Primary School is at Summerville Road, Salford, Greater Manchester, M6 7HB.