North Walkden Primary School

North Walkden Primary School is a caring, inclusive school where pupils feel safe, valued and behave very well. Leaders have introduced an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum, and teaching is effective, with a strong focus on vocabulary and basic skills. Early years provision is a particular strength: children settle quickly, develop language and early reading, writing and mathematics, and leave well prepared for Year 1. Personal development is also strong, with a wide range of trips, clubs, leadership opportunities and effective pastoral support. Safeguarding requirements are met. However, the school's work has not yet translated into strong outcomes at the end of Year 6. Some pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, do not achieve well enough in key stage 2 tests or attend school regularly enough. Attendance has declined and is below the national average, and leaders have not addressed barriers quickly enough. Leaders also lack sufficient oversight of the support provided for pupils with SEND, including those with EHC plans, and of alternative provision, so they cannot always show that additional support is effective. There are signs of improvement: leaders have rightly prioritised curriculum, teaching and early years, and staff value the training and support they receive. Governors meet their duties and staff wellbeing is considered. The main priorities now are to close gaps from previous weaker provision, strengthen SEND oversight, improve attendance, and ensure more pupils leave Year 6 ready for secondary school. The school has a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals and above-average SEN support, which adds context to these challenges.

Strengths

• Ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum covering key knowledge across subjects
• Effective teaching supported by relevant staff training and consistent approaches
• Strong whole-school focus on vocabulary and helping pupils remember learning
• Successful early literacy and numeracy provision, including for pupils with SEND
• Early years provision where children settle quickly and achieve well
• High-quality interactions in early years that develop spoken language
• Very positive pupil behaviour, clear routines and calm classrooms
• Pupils feel safe and bullying is dealt with quickly
• Effective pastoral support and a strong PSHE curriculum
• Wide range of trips, clubs and leadership opportunities that build character
• Additional funding used well to give disadvantaged pupils access to wider opportunities
• SEND pupils are accurately identified and generally well supported in class
• Leaders provide regular training and staff feel valued
• Governors meet statutory duties and support staff wellbeing

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, do not achieve well enough in end of key stage 2 tests
• Older pupils have gaps in knowledge from previously weaker provision
• Attendance has declined and is below national average, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
• Leaders have not acted swiftly enough to remove barriers to attendance
• Leaders lack sufficient oversight of additional support for pupils with SEND, including those with EHC plans
• Some pupils with additional needs do not learn as well as they should
• Oversight of alternative provision is not effective
• Leaders do not have a precise view of how well some improvement actions are implemented or their impact
• Uptake of clubs is not yet high for disadvantaged pupils or those with SEND
• Curriculum improvements have not yet improved national test results at the end of Year 6

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 North Walkden Primary School attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.3% 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, 0.4% of pupils at North Walkden 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 North Walkden Primary School had 22.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 18.6% of pupils at North Walkden Primary School 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 North Walkden Primary School received £7,740 and spent £7,712 for each of its 220 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £89,000 (£406 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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• Secondary Schools

All schools in Manchester · Salford local authority: places and applications

What is North Walkden Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was North Walkden Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

North Walkden Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does North Walkden Primary School have?

North Walkden Primary School has 220 pupils on roll.

What age range does North Walkden Primary School cover?

North Walkden Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 34% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is North Walkden Primary School?

North Walkden Primary School is at Worsley Road North, Walkden, Worsley, Manchester, M28 3QD.